


Underworld

by MissYuki1990



Series: Curing My SNK Obsession [12]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fem-Slash, M/M, Reincarnation, Slash, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Violence, Werewolves, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-13 19:08:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3392906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissYuki1990/pseuds/MissYuki1990
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Armin,” he spoke and the blond man nodded stiffly as Erwin turned to the woman to his right, “Mikasa,” she ducked her head, her eyes darkening and expression turning blank, “move out.” The two saluted him with their right hand firmly pressed over their hearts, and the two vanished without so much as a sound.</p>
<p>Erwin crouched, right hand landing on the cold stone of the fence beneath him and left perching on his left knee. A small smirk tilted his lips, thick eyebrows narrowing for the smallest of fragments as he looked around, eyes nothing could remain hidden from focusing on three massive forms in the crowd beneath him which would pass unnoticed in front of anyone but him.</p>
<p>‘Six hundred years,’ he thought to himself, broad shoulders hunching as he leaned forward and a gust of cold wind made the long, black, leather cloak flail behind him, miniscule rain-drops stinging his face and soaking into sun-colored strands of hair styled in an undercut. ‘Six hundred years and the only thing that changed are the weapons we fight with.’</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Silver Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I claim no rights to the characters of Shingeki no Kyojin.   
> Inspired by the movie 'Underworld' (2003).

_“On that day, we've received a grim reminder…  
This war is far from over.”_

_\- Erwin Smith_

* * *

The great city of Sina was drenched in darkness, the storm-clouds moving slowly - ominously over the city, rain falling as though it wanted to drown the world and all of its imperfections. Far beneath a high tower, humans moved around in a hurry, each with their own purpose, yet the sight of them pouring onto the main street from all sides appeared chaotic.

Men and women of all ages, creeds, and races rushed along their ways, so focused on their own thoughts - their own private little worlds - that they couldn’t see further than their own nose, unable to see the world hidden in plain sight, although perhaps this virtual blindness was their own sort of blessing.

“Erwin?”

Luminescent blue eyes came into focus and the owner of those soul-searing orbs tilted his head to the right towards the one who called out to him - a beautiful lady appearing to be no older than some twenty winters with grey eyes, and hair as black as sin falling to a sharp chin. She stood on top of a gargoyle’s head, her lean, muscled form dressed in formfitting black leather, long, dexterous fingers lingering just a few inches away from the handles of twin-blades sheathed in thigh-holsters concealed by a long, black cloak.

Upon receiving his attention, she tilted her head to the right, glancing down at the busy streets of Sina, and one corner of her full lips curled in obvious disdain, although it could not be seen by someone who didn’t know her well.

“They’re on the move,” she spoke quietly, her voice soft and warm, belying the cruelty of her existence, and Erwin nodded, glancing down again from his place on top of a thick, stone fence where he stood with his arms crossed over a broad chest, leaning against a stone pillar.

“Is everyone ready?” he asked, voice deep and calm, betraying no emotion, and he pushed away from the pillar lowering muscled arms to his sides, hands landing on the blades sheathed in their holsters, the harnesses of the sheaths tight around thick thighs.

“We’re waiting for your orders, sir.” Erwin glanced over one massive shoulder at the small blond man standing just a few feet behind him, and Erwin offered a small smile to him at the sight of the determined expression.

“Armin,” he spoke and the blond man nodded stiffly as Erwin turned to the woman to his right, “Mikasa,” she ducked her head, her eyes darkening and expression turning blank, “move out.” The two saluted him with their right hand firmly pressed over their hearts, and the two vanished without so much as a sound.

Erwin crouched, right hand landing on the cold stone of the fence beneath him and left perching on his left knee. A small smirk tilted his lips, thick eyebrows narrowing for the smallest of fragments as he looked around, eyes nothing could remain hidden from focusing on three massive forms in the crowd beneath him which would pass unnoticed in front of anyone but him.

_‘Six hundred years,’_ he thought to himself, broad shoulders hunching as he leaned forward and a gust of cold wind made the long, black, leather cloak flail behind him, miniscule rain-drops stinging his face and soaking into sun-colored strands of hair styled in an undercut. _‘Six hundred years and the only thing that changed are the weapons we fight with.’_

The pupils of those amazing eyes all but disappeared, leaving behind nothing but glowing blue which seemed to grow bigger until there were no whites to be seen, and full, lush lips curled at the corners revealing sharpening fangs. Dust and pieces of stone fell over the edge as nails turned to sharp claws, fingers digging into the fence, and the leather of his trousers creaked as he fisted his left hand around his knee.

A flock of pigeons suddenly darted out of a tower several streets away, and Erwin jumped over the edge, eyes slipping closed as he spread his arms to the sides, surrendering to that brief moment of weightlessness before he twisted in the air with catlike grace in many ways unbefitting the huge frame of pure muscle.

And then - in a moment shorter than the time it takes to breathe in - he was gone…

* * *

' _I hate humans,’_ Levi thought to himself as he walked hardly noticed down the streets of Sina, the hood of his jacket pulled low over his face and hands tucked deep in the pockets the keys of his apartment digging into his left hand and his smart-phone feeling too warm in the grip of his right.

People around him paid him no heed, either because he was quite short for a man and dressed like this he could pass for a teenager, or because - on some primeval level - they could feel his dislike for anything human (although that was highly doubtful).

The leather of his boots squeaked as he marched towards the underground train station, eyes the color of mercury focused on the wet asphalt, not paying any attention to anything going on around him.

“Sorry!” the hissed word came seconds before a strong body collided with Levi from behind and he raised his head as he stumbled, catching sight of a young man who couldn’t be older than twenty-something glancing back towards him, silver orbs widening when he - for the briefest moment imaginable - caught sight of the man’s eyes; one neither pure blue nor pure green, and the other shining like molten gold.

“Eren!” Levi stopped in his tracks when a woman pushed past him without sparing Levi a glance, running after the guy with heterochromic eyes, both disappearing in the crowd around Levi within seconds.

He glanced around as though he was just _waiting_ for someone else to attempt to run him over before he snorted and continued on his way. He finally reached the entrance to the subway, all but running down the stairs, secretly hoping that there was an empty seat waiting just for him in one of the wagons of the trainso he could ignore people until he reached his stop.

The moment he walked into the underground train-station he moved to the wall to his left, doing his best to stay as far away from people as possible, and he ducked his head, pulling his hands out of the pockets of his jacket. He raised his smart-phone, thumb sliding across the touch-screen as he pushed his left hand into the back pocket of his jeans, digging out his earphones.

He chose one of the playlists, tucking the jack in its proper place before he put the small buds into his ears, hitting his head back against the cold, stone wall, sharp gaze racking over the announcement monitor showing arrivals and departures of trains.

He huffed and closed his eyes when he saw that his train would be there in twenty minutes, concentrating on the music blaring in his ears…

Not seeing three huge men slowly moving towards him, eyes as black as coal glimmering in the fluorescent light.

* * *

Erwin walked down the steps of the underground train-station with an easy stride, hands clasped behind his back, shoulders straight and head slightly ducked, and if anyone were to stop and think about it, they would have noted that it was amazingly peculiar that no one was paying him any attention.

People simply walked past the tall, muscled, black leather clad man whose luminescent gaze racked over the crowd, settling on three people hiding in shadows, receiving minute nods from all three of them before he made his way towards one thick pillar, right corner of his lips tilting up when he located their targets.

In a brief moment, as he determined their trajectories, his eyes caught sight of a small, slender form, and something within him shifted at the sight of silver eyes opening, the man’s expression dull and disinterested.

He stood somehow separated from the crowd - there and yet not - silver eyes closing after he changed the song playing on his smart-phone, tucking the slender hand wrapped around the gadget back into the right pocket of the black jacket.

_“Sir!”_ his right eyebrow twitched at the hiss of a familiar voice in his ear coming from the small earphone, and he looked away from the stranger, immediately noticing that their targets stopped moving, all of them exchanging glances and nods, making a frown mar Erwin’s face.

All of a sudden, arriving unexpectedly early, a train came to a sharp stop behind Erwin, deafening him for a moment with its screeching stop, the tall blond covering his ears as he fell against the pillar behind him, struggling to recover as quickly as possible, one eye squinting open and focusing on one of the targets.

And only then did he realize that there were more.

The tallest among them sniffed the air pushed towards them by the train, and Erwin cursed under his breath when the man’s eyes turned black immediately and those big nostrils flared.

“BLOODS!” the man roared in a voice that was neither human nor beast-like.

“Move!” hissed Erwin in the button-speaker on the high collar of his coat, ducking quickly when the man closest to him raised massive arms, pointing two guns at Erwin.

Lowering into a crouch, Erwin pulled the twin-blades from the sheaths on his thighs, dodging bullets and people running around screaming as they tried to escape up the stairs. Erwin was only half aware of the rest of his team joining the fray, his eyes widening minutely with worry he refused to allow himself to feel until later when he caught sight of Eren climbing a wall, already half-shifted, only to tackle one target to the ground and rip its head clean off without so much as an effort before joining forces with Armin who managed to shoot another one down.

Erwin saw no more because the one attacking him threw empty guns to the side and attacked him head on, fully shifting mid-flight, only to fall to the ground dead not a second later, blood spraying on the floor from the cross shaped wound on the werewolf’s chest made by Erwin’s blades.

Before Erwin could take a look around, two more attacked him, and in the haze of battle, he could do nothing but concentrate on staying alive and bringing his enemies down.

Just as he buried one of his blades in another werewolf’s neck, two gunshots followed by a scream drew Erwin’s attention, and his eyes widened when he saw Eren flying into a newspapers kiosk, the smell of the young man’s blood filling the air, momentarily concealing the stench of the werewolves lying dead on the ground.

Erwin heard Mikasa and Armin scream for Eren, but before Erwin could act, before he could do _anything_ , he heard something that made the blood in his veins run cold, and he looked down the tunnel to his right, his heart clenching in his chest at the sight of 3 huge weres running towards him.

He was about to issue an order for Armin to stay with Eren while he and Mikasa handled the wolves, when he caught sight of something that was quite surprising… in a _good_ way.

The man Erwin noticed earlier was almost effortlessly carrying Eren out of the kiosk, silver eyes wide open as he scanned his surroundings before hurrying away, ducking into an alcove.

All of that happened within a second, and the order Erwin wanted to issue changed before the first one managed to leave Erwin’s mouth.

“Armin! Mikasa! With me!” he shouted, the two looking at Erwin in horror, and he realized that they hadn’t seen what he had, but before he could point it out, or the other two had a chance to counter him in any way, they were attacked by the three huge werewolves, their howls and threatening growls, and the glimmer of their claws and fangs in the fluorescent light spurring the three into action.

* * *

“Shit…” Levi pressed out through his teeth as he ducked into the alcove, lowering the kid he was pretty sure was called Eren off of his back and turning around quickly, settling him against the wall. Silver gaze immediately settled on two gun-shot wounds in the young man’s stomach, and chapped, pale lips thinned in a pained line, surprisingly still hands tearing the ruined shirt open to check the wounds.

A groan made Levi look up, leaving him wondering how the young man was already waking up, but when those heterochromic eyes opened, immediately focusing on him, Levi had little time to think about it.

“Be still, brat,” he bit out when the kid tried to move, ignoring the slight growl that passed blood-stained lips as he pressed his fingers around one of the wounds, face scrunching up when he found that the bullet was still inside.

“Who… What are you…”

“Be still!” Levi hissed when Eren tried to wiggle away and pushed the kid into the wall glaring up at the brat, mismatched eyes widening at the warning stare. Levi returned his attention to the wounds, biting the inside of his bottom lip as he checked the one right above Eren’s left hip-bone, thin, black eyebrows narrowing when the brat hissed and twitched in pain.

“I can’t - why can’t I…” gasped Eren, panic darkening his eyes, and Levi quickly raised his blood-smeared hands, cupping Eren’s face between them.

“Calm down,” he spoke, voice thick and slightly strained as he struggled to remain calm.

_‘Out of all the days I didn’t take the car to work this just had to happen today,’_ constantly ran through his mind, but Levi couldn’t allow himself to dwell. He had a dying kid in his arms - a kid that appeared _not_ to be human if what Levi had just seen was right - and he wouldn’t have someone’s life on his consciousness if there was something he could do about it.

“I need to get you out of here, okay?” Levi spoke, not breaking eye-contact as he took his jacket off before he quickly glanced at the suddenly empty station, although he could still hear the echoes of gunshots and howls.

“I can’t - I need to-”

“Listen!” Levi snapped at Eren, watching those strange eyes widen in shock. “I don’t care what happened here or who you are; you hear me, shitty brat! I won’t leave you here to die, so shut the _fuck_ up and do as you’re told!”

Levi received a hurried nod from the kid, even though he could see that Eren was already close to losing consciousness, and he wrapped one arm around the kid’s waist, throwing his jacket around trembling shoulders and covering the head of matted brown strands with the hood.

“What’s your name?” he blurted out even though he already knew the kid’s name, but Levi needed him to stay awake and the only way to do that was to make him talk.

“Eren,” came the slurred answer as Levi turned around and struggled with tugging the kid onto his back, “Eren Jäger.” He hefted the kid higher on his back and placed his hands under Eren’s ass, entwining his fingers firmly before he stood up. “What’s your name?” the question came muffled since Eren’s lips were pressed against his right shoulder.

“Levi,” he answered, walking as fast as he could with additional weight pressing down on him, silver eyes taking everything in quickly as he climbed the stairs, cursing under his breath when he almost slipped on the last step.

“Levi?” Eren’s voice sounded weaker than before and Levi titled his head to the right, _feeling_ Eren’s blood soaking into the shirt on Levi’s back. He hurried his pace, thanking the gods that his work-place was just two streets away.

“Just Levi,” he answered, the quiet ‘oh’ reaching his ears, and he stumbled a bit when Eren seemed to grow lax, “Oy, kid! Don’t fall asleep on me!” he snapped, walking as fast as he could, grinding his teeth as he thought of routes that would make sure they avoided people and the police patrols he could hear coming.

“You didn’t run away,” Eren mumbled in a drowsy tone, and Levi almost stopped to look at Eren in confusion, but he made himself keep moving, knowing that every delay could mean Eren’s death. “Other people ran away… You didn’t-”

“I had my earphones on so I didn’t hear it when it all started, and by the time I figured out what was going on, I risked being trampled by a hoard of headless idiots running for their lives,” Levi pressed out through his teeth, glancing over his right shoulder when he heard a weak, strained laugh.

“So you hid in that alcove,” Eren muttered, struggling to stay awake, “and now you’re helping me.”

“More like going out of my way to keep you alive, kid,” Levi bit out, almost sagging in relief when the entrance to his animal clinic came into sight and he rushed around to the back door. “Don’t flatter yourself,” he muttered, slowly lowering himself to his knees. “I need you to get off.”

“Sure,” Eren tried to push himself off of Levi’s back, but his strength failed him, and Levi quickly spun around, catching Eren before he could hit the hard, asphalt ground.

“Idiot!” he hissed, lowering Eren to the ground carefully before he all but jumped to his feet, digging the keys of the back door out of the right back pocket of his jeans. He unlocked the door and hurried to turn off the alarm, turning on all the lights along the way, and then he ran out into the pouring rain, checking Eren’s pulse before he gathered the hardly conscious boy into his arms, carrying him into the clinic and lying Eren down on the operation-table.

Rolling his sleeves up as he hurried around the room, Levi quickly washed his hands and forearms in scorching hot water, rubbing disinfectant into his skin before he prepared everything he would need to pull the bullets out of Eren.

“Eren?” he called out to the young man as he placed everything on the table to Eren’s right, watching those mismatched eyes open, brown eyelashes fluttering against slightly blushing cheeks as Eren struggled with all his might to stay awake.

“Levi?” the young man breathed out weakly and Levi cursed under his breath, taking one small roll of bandages and pressing it against Eren’s lips.

“You’ll have to bite into this, alright? I’ll pull the bullets out as quickly as I can, so just bear with it.” Eren nodded weakly, letting Levi press the roll of bandages not thicker than a grown man’s thumb between Eren’s teeth.

Levi then took a deep breath and looked down at the wounds only for his heart to skip a beat and his guts to churn. The skin around the wounds appeared as though it was scorched, and only then did he notice that the clean scent of the clinic was being suppressed by the stench of burned flesh.

_‘What the fuck is going on here?’_ he thought to himself but he quickly moved on, placing his left hand flat on Eren’s stomach to hold him down as he started on the task of getting the bullets out of the wounds.

* * *

Erwin pushed the fully shifted werewolf off of himself, the mad creature hitting the wall and stumbling to his feet scurrying away to put some distance between him and Erwin, and the proud vampire straightened to full height, flipping the blades before he sheathed them and slowly raised his hands, a smirk stretching full lips.

“Come now,” he spoke, deep voice echoing against the stone, wet walls of the tunnel they were in. “Let’s finish this.”

The monstrous being in front of Erwin reared back his huge head, letting go of a thunderous roar, and Erwin bared his teeth in a dangerous smirk, fangs glistening with saliva, eyes the color of cloudless skies in summer filling with blood-lust as he crouched and raised his fists to the level of his shoulders.

It was a rare sight to see Erwin give in to blood-lust; a rare sight indeed.

Rare were the times when he would let the monster dwelling inside his heart out to play, but he has been hunting these three for years now, and this off opportunity when he had a chance to take down even one of them - on the assumption that Mikasa and Armin didn’t manage to catch the other two - brought out the worst in him.

The werewolf charged before Erwin could attack, but the vampire was ready. He moved with an ease which clashed with his sheer size and weight, dancing around the werewolf, dealing deadly blows and skillfully avoiding the werewolf’s sharp claws and jaws glistening with saliva.

Erwin planted his right fist into the werewolf’s stomach, his left wrapping around one thick forearm, sharp nails piercing skin covered in thick black fur, and before his opponent could escape him Erwin flipped himself onto his back, taking a firm hold of the wolf’s muzzle as he planted his feet in the muscled back beneath him and leaned back.

But before Erwin could deal the killing blow, the sound of two howls came from behind him, and a sneer marred his face. Quickly concluding that he stood no chance against three of them, Erwin hopped off of the werewolf’s back and ran down one of the underground tunnels, taking cover in one small alcove and concentrating on concealing his scent.

Not fifteen seconds later, three huge forms ran past him, and his nose wrinkled in a hardly visible sneer. The blood-lust was gone, and Erwin’s usual calm composure was back. Waiting until he could no longer hear the three werewolves’ paws splashing through the sewers, Erwin walked out of his hideout, reaching towards his collar only to frown when he found the receiver missing.

_‘Damn it,’_ he thought to himself as he made his way back towards the underground train-station. He couldn’t contact Armin and Mikasa without the receiver, but since he couldn’t smell the two’s blood he guessed they retreated. What Erwin had to do now was go back to the station and make sure Eren was alright.

And to see if the silver-eyed man he caught a mere glimpse of was still there.

There was something very familiar about that man, now that Erwin had time to think about it. There was something familiar in that moonlight-like gaze, in the hunch of those small shoulders, in the downturn of those thin lips and the tilt of the man’s head.

And Erwin would find out what it was.

No matter what.

* * *

Levi let go of a long gust of air, glancing up at the face of his now sleeping patient as he finished bandaging Eren’s stomach. He managed to get the bullets out and clean the wounds to the best of his abilities, especially since he normally worked on _animals_ , not humans…

Or whatever Eren was, because according to what Levi _knew_ he had seen, Eren wasn’t human.

Levi turned away from Eren, thin eyebrows narrowed thoughtfully as he moved towards the sink to wash his hands, but as he looked down he found his clothes covered with splotches of blood. He let go of a noncommittal sound as he turned on his heel, glancing at Eren’s sleeping form before he walked out of the room, making his way down the hallway towards a room he remade into a bathroom the moment he started working in this clinic because he couldn’t handle the thought of being dirty.

He left the door of the bathroom slightly ajar just in case the brat sleeping on the table in the operation room wakes up and calls for him, and he quickly stripped, wrinkling his nose at his dirty clothes before he threw them to the side deciding to burn them later.

He didn’t want to go through the trouble of washing blood and godknows what else out of cotton.

Levi stepped under the shower before the water grew warm enough, hissing as he placed his hands on the wall in front of him and leaned forward, ducking his head as he rotated his shoulders, letting go of a quiet, hardly audible groan.

His eyes slipped closed as the water cascaded down his body, his mouth opening and tongue darting out to trace pale lips. Straightening slowly and letting his head fall back, he let his hands fall to his thighs, rolling his head from side to side as water caressed his cheeks, the small droplets stinging his eyes.

_‘What the fuck did I get myself into?’_ he thought to himself, going through everything he had seen in that underground train-station over and over again. _‘Why the hell didn’t I just leave the shitty brat there? It’s not like it was my responsibility to save him? And why didn’t I just call an ambulance?’_

Opening his eyes he took the bottle of shampoo and squeezed a small amount on his left hand, systematically rubbing it up his arms and shoulders, watching the small bubbles getting washed down the drain.

_‘What the hell **were** they?’_ he wondered, remembering the thunderous roars and gunshots echoing against stone walls, and two people calling for Eren when the boy fell into that kiosk. In all honesty, Levi thought Eren was a goner.

When he ran into that kiosk, knowing that he might get caught in the crossfire, Levi was acting on pure instinct, although _why_ he did that was still beyond him. He _hated_ humans. If he could he would spend the rest of his life surrounded by nothing but animals of whichever kind, as long as he didn’t have to face the rest of humanity on a daily basis.

_‘But he’s not exactly **human** , is he?’_ a frown marred his face and he squinted at nothing in particular, raising his hands to quickly wash his hair, in that moment wanting nothing more than to get the stench of blood and sweat off of himself, although it felt as though it crawled under his skin.

_‘And the others…’_ Levi squeezed his eyes tightly shut, struggling to remember the ones who appeared to be fighting on the same side as Eren, vaguely remembering a woman who looked to be in her twenties and a blond boy Levi was willing to bet his monthly earnings wasn’t even _legal_.

_‘But the last one,’_ Levi fisted his hands over his eyes as he tried to remember the last man he only caught with a sideways glance. The only thing he could remember was a flash of sun-kissed hair and…

_‘His eyes…’_ Levi entwined his fingers in his hair, not even aware that he was biting into his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, a few drops trailing down his chin, mixing with water, and falling down onto the white floor, becoming lighter and lighter until they completely washed away. _‘It was like glimpsing the sky in summer.’_

Scoffing in annoyance, Levi quickly washed his hair, turning the water off a bit too harshly. _‘What am I doing,’_ he thought, grumbling unintelligibly under his breath as he got out of the shower-stall and grabbed one big, white, fluffy pillow from the shelves beside the sink, digging around a cupboard for the spare clothes he had there.

_‘I should just put the kid into a Taxi the moment he wakes up and forget any of this ever happened,’_ he concluded, stubbornly erasing every single thought of the whole evening out of his mind, and deciding to spend the night in his office, because there was no way in hell he would be taking the subway again.

He got dressed quickly and made his way towards the operation room, intending to check up on the brat sleeping there before he went to make himself some tea only to stop dead in his tracks, eyes widening and heart falling to his stomach when he found the room _empty_.

He hurried towards the back door, _knowing_ that the kid couldn’t have gotten far, but as he ran out on the street, the rain falling harder than earlier, Levi realized that there was no trace of Eren. With a frown marring his face, he returned to the clinic before he could end up soaked to the bone, walking into the operation room and taking a careful look around.

His gaze zeroed in on a piece of paper and a pen resting on one of the cabinets. He knew he wasn’t the one who left it there, so he made his way over, eyebrows rising a bit at the surprisingly neat handwriting.

_Mr. Levi,_

_Thank you for taking care of me. I don’t know how you feel about what happened, but please try to forget everything if for no other reason than for your own safety._

_I’ll make sure to come and thank you properly once I see my family. They must be worried about me by now._

_Please, take care of yourself and stay safe._

_Sincerely,  
Eren Jäger. _

“Tche,” he scrunched up the letter into a ball and threw it into the trash bin, marching over to the back door to lock it and turn on the alarm.

Refusing to give the evening another thought, Levi made his way into his office, found the pillow and the blanket he brought there for occasions similar to this one, and settled on the comfortable couch, stubbornly closing his eyes.

And if he was dreaming of a pair of sky blue eyes, he didn’t remember it by morning.

* * *

Erwin walked into the mansion belonging to his Coven, walking through the huge common room where others sat casting curious glances his way, the proud vampire paying them no attention as he made his way to his chambers, knowing who he would find there.

And he wasn’t mistaken.

The moment he walked into the office adjacent to his bedroom he found Mikasa and Armin sitting together in the couch, both looking as though someone ripped their hearts out and set them on fire right in front of them.

_‘It is no wonder,’_ Erwin thought sadly, his own heart aching. _‘After all, the only reason why they agreed to become vampires was to be able to spend eternity with Eren.’_

“We couldn’t find him.” Erwin was shaken from his thoughts before he could truly sink into them, looking at Armin with a small, hardly noticeable frown. “We went back after the werewolves we were chasing ran off, but we didn’t find him,” Armin spoke, cerulean eyes wide and full of horror, small hands fisted on his knees trembling minutely, and he looked as though he would cry if only he could.

Mikasa on the other had looked almost frozen, emotionless, like a beautiful statue carved from marble, but Erwin knew her better than that, and a single glance into her eyes told him that she was suffering more than anyone.

Eren was Mikasa’s only family, never mind that she was adopted by his parents before they were killed. Losing Eren would be like losing part of her soul, and Erwin - in all honesty - feared to know the depth of her feelings, having never experienced such a thing in all of his six hundred years of immortal life.

“I went back as well,” Erwin spoke up, the two turning to look at him, and the blond man walked over to take a seat in an armchair, letting go of a long sigh. “Before the Female, Colossal and Armored attacked,” he spoke the names of the three strongest werewolves they ever faced, “before I gave you the order to follow me, I’ve seen a human pulling Eren to the side. I wanted to have Armin stay with Eren, but decided against it.”

“A human?” whispered Mikasa, her eyes widening slightly - first show of emotion since Erwin walked into the room - and Erwin gifted her with a small smile.

“I wanted to scent him out and follow them, hoping I would at least catch Eren’s scent, but the rain washed it off and there were too many people around. I will hack into the cameras surrounding the station and try to find the man. We _will_ find E-”

All three of them tensed up and jumped to their feet when the door to Erwin’s office was slammed open, their eyes widening at the sight of Eren who looked worse for wear…

But he was alive.

“Eren?” the boy in question offered a hesitant smile when Mikasa took a step towards him, raising her hands as though she was afraid that if she were to go to him, if she were to touch him, Eren would disappear into thin air.

“You’re - you’re here!” Armin choked out, eyes filling with happiness, and Eren grinned at the two, spreading his arms to the sides which caused his unbuttoned shirt to open showing off the white bandage tightly wrapped around his midsection.

“Alive and in one piece,” he said, quickly looking down when he saw the horror on the faces of his friends, “Well… _alive_ ,” he corrected, startling and looking up when Erwin appeared right in front of him without a sound, Mikasa and Armin obviously too stunned to move.

“Take a seat,” Erwin spoke as he wrapped his right hand around Eren’s left arm in a surprisingly gentle grip and led the young werewolf to the armchair. “I shall summon Hanji-”

“There’s no need!” Eren was quick to reassure Eren before he looked at his friends with a calming smile. “My wounds were already tended to by Mr. Levi.”

“Mr. Levi?” Armin asked as a frown marred his face, and Mikasa looked ready to murder someone.

“The man that pulled you out of the kiosk and brought you to safety,” Erwin concluded and Eren nodded enthusiastically, obviously already feeling better, making it known to the other three that this _Levi_ obviously did a good job of removing the bullets and cleaning the wounds, because otherwise Eren’s natural healing abilities wouldn’t have kicked in already.

“He carried me to this place which smelled of animals and antiseptics,” Eren’s nose wrinkled a bit while the other three exchanged thoughtful glances. “I… Can’t really remember the way back ‘cause when I realized how late it was I wanted to get back here as soon as possible.” Eren rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, offering a small smile when he received exasperated glances from Armin and Mikasa, not one of them noticing the slight frown which marred Erwin’s handsome features. “And he didn’t tell me his surname.”

Eren looked up when a big hand settled on his left shoulder, finding Erwin smiling at him kindly, eyes the color of summer skies glowing with warmth and comfort.

“Don’t worry about it now, Eren,” Erwin spoke reassuringly. “Get something to eat with Mikasa and Armin and then to bed with all of you. You all need some rest.”

While Mikasa and Armin saluted Erwin in perfect form, Eren merely nodded and stood up, gifting Erwin with a grateful smile.

“I’ll see you later, Erwin,” the young werewolf said, bowing his head at Erwin minutely.

“Sleep well,” the vampire said, watching as the three left the office closing the door on their way out.

Erwin let go of a silent hum, making his way towards his desk. He quickly put aside various files and slips of paper and took a seat in the comfortable chair, raising the screen of his laptop and turning it on.

He resisted the urge to tap his fingers impatiently against the wooden surface of his desk, eyebrows narrowed in scowl, the need to find the man that saved Eren growing with each passing moment.

Erwin couldn’t stop thinking that there was something painfully _familiar_ about the man, something that has drawn Erwin’s attention to him even when the vampire wasn’t paying special attention to the humans surrounding him.

This _Levi_ wasn’t trying to stand out in a crowd. He wasn’t trying to blend in either. No, he stood apart from it, apart from the normal rush of human life, apart from the scurrying - from the entropy that was humanity - and even in that absolute separation, even as he appeared utterly singular, Levi was also part of the whole.

A walking, breathing _paradox_ if you’d want to put it that way.

One would think that someone of such a small stature, such unassuming looks would fade into the crowd, disappear from sight, and in a way it was so, because Erwin couldn’t help but see how no human noticed Levi’s quiet, disinterested presence.

And yet - when the moment came - when things went downhill and every other human ran away in an attempt to not get caught in the crossfire, Levi ran out of his hideout and pulled a man he had never seen before to safety.

He carried Eren out of there and tended to his wounds. He made sure the man he saved was safe.

_‘Quite admirable, if I do say so myself,’_ Erwin thought, a small smirk tilting his lips when the laptop finally started all programs, and within seconds the vampire’s fingers were dancing over the keyboard. It didn’t take him long to hack into security programs, quickly finding the records from around the time it all went down, and then he focused on the few cameras pointing exactly at the entrance to the subway.

He fast-forwarded the recordings, nothing escaping those sharp, sky-blue eyes as he perched his elbows on top of the desk, and rested entwined fingers on his lips. Quicker than a flash of lightning, Erwin moved to press a key that would freeze the shots taken, and his eyes widened for the smallest of fragments as he gazed upon the face of _Mr. Levi_ as he carried Eren on his back out of the subway.

Taking a screen shot and using whatever filters he could think of to sharpen Levi’s features as much as possible, Eren hacked into the police files of Sina City and started a search, for the first time in six hundred years feeling somehow… _giddy_.

His head snapped up when three sharp knocks broke the silence, and Erwin jumped to his feet.

“Enter!” he called out and the door opened, one of Erwin’s closest friends walking in, carrying two cups of blood, and only when the sweet aroma of it filled the air did Erwin realize how hungry he was.

“Mike, you are a life-savior,” Erwin spoke warmly, accepting one cup as they took seats in front of the fireplace.

“I knew that you would forget about it,” Mike spoke, watching with usual scrutiny as Erwin took a sip of the liquid giving all creatures life, “and since there is something I would like to talk to you about, I thought I would spare you the trouble of going to the kitchen.”

Erwin cocked an eyebrow at Mike who hummed and sniffed the air quickly, crossing long, muscled legs as he relaxed into the comfortable armchair.

“Is there a reason why I wouldn’t want to go to the kitchen at this moment?” Erwin asked, although he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

“Hanji and Nanaba have taken residence in it.”

“Ah,” Erwin spoke as though that sentence explained everything. “Then I will make sure I don’t approach the kitchen for at least another day or two.”

“That would be wise, yes,” Mike agreed, the two falling into a brief bout of silence as they enjoyed their drinks. “But that is not why I came here.”

The left corner of Erwin’s lips tilted up and he looked at Mike from under thick eyebrows, a low chuckle escaping him as he perched his left arm on the backrest of the couch. “I thought so,” he said and Mike shook his head with a sigh.

“I’ve looked through the recordings we’re received from before and during your Hunt,” Mike elaborated and Erwin’s eyebrows narrowed when the other vampire pulled a tabled from the inside of his coat and offered it to Erwin. “The wolves weren’t there to draw us out. I don’t think they even expected us to be there.”

“What makes you think so?” Erwin asked as he turned on the tablet and flipped through the photos. His eyes widened even _before_ Mike opened his mouth, and Erwin could _swear_ that the heart in his chest - which hasn’t been beating in centuries - appeared to have started beating again and quicker than it would be normal.

“They were following that man,” Mike spoke up watching as Erwin stared at the filtered photo of _Levi_ , tongue darting out to wet dry lips. “We’ll have to find that man before they do. Whatever they want from him, we need to make sure they don’t get it.”

“We’ll summon a meeting tomorrow,” Erwin spoke, clearing his throat when his voice came out slightly strained. “Pixis and the others need to know about this.”

“I will inform them,” Mike nodded as he spoke and slowly stood up. “Get some rest, Erwin. Even you need it occasionally.”

“I will. Don’t worry,” Erwin offered a small smile and Mike hummed as he made his way out of the room. The moment the door closed behind him Erwin was on his feet going back to his desk. His eyebrows rose minutely when he saw that the program found a match, and he was looking at a photo of…

_‘Levi Ackerman,’_ Erwin hummed as he traced the outline of Levi’s face with the tips of his fingers before rising the cup cradled in his right hand to his lips, finishing his dinner. _‘So they were after you,’_ he concluded thoughtfully as he took a seat.

He crossed long legs to the side of the table, placing the empty cup on a pile of various files, and then he perched his elbows on the armrests, entwined fingers covering his lips before he bit into his right thumb.

“Why do they want you, Levi?” he mused out loud, words sounding muffled because of the finger between his teeth. “What do you have that they want?”

The chair creaked under his weight as he relaxed against the backrest, and thick eyebrows narrowed in contemplation. _‘And why do I feel as though I’ve already met you?’_

* * *

**So!**

**Tell me if I should continue this.**


	2. I Will Find You

_They were the ones who started it. They were the ones who wanted to rule the world._

_We couldn’t allow that. We couldn’t reveal our existence to humanity, because even though we are stronger, we are also more vulnerable than they will ever be._

_And that is why we still live in hiding. That is why we still fight, why we’re still losing our lives almost daily._

_To protect humanity - to protect ourselves - no price is too great._

_\- Erwin Smith_

* * *

Erwin glanced around the great dining hall they mostly used for meetings such as this one. Black drapes were pulled tightly over floor to ceiling renaissance windows aligning the walls. Two great crystal chandeliers offered just enough light, but the chamber appeared to be swarming with shadows which moved against the walls.

The atmosphere was tense, and for all his knowledge and wisdom Erwin couldn’t say if it was because of yesterday’s mission or because of the concerning rumors that have been confirmed to him an hour prior to the meeting by Mike and Nanaba.

It was very well known that Erwin and just a few others still fought for old beliefs, making sure that their world remained separated from the one ruled by humanity, but the whispers - _rumors_ echoing through shadows for quite some time now of his kin reconsidering their position have been very concerning to say the least.

There were some who believed that they should reveal themselves to the world - that they should rule over humanity.

Erwin didn’t know yet if these were just singular opinions or if there was a rebellion brewing among them, and he had yet to find those who were spreading those rumors or those who started them since he was too busy keeping the werewolves at bay.

Besides, they had other things to worry about at the moment, one of them being _Levi Ackerman_.

Erwin exchanged a glance with Mikasa, Eren and Armin, receiving minute nods from the three, before the gaze which seemed to have had entrapped the essence of summer, cloudless skies traveled over the people gathered in the room, taking each person in with careful scrutiny.

Closes to Erwin, sitting to the blond’s right, was Dot Pixis, one of the Coven Elders and the man who changed Erwin six hundred years ago. Even though Erwin remembered nothing of his human life, he had vague memories of Pixis finding him before everything went black and Erwin woke up as a vampire.

Dot Pixis was the man who brought Erwin into this world, who taught him how to live as a vampire, who made him see the beauty of their world along with the horrors, and one of the few older members of the Coven who supported Erwin without a doubt.

Next to Pixis was Darius Zackly, first elder of their Coven, and a man Erwin respected almost as much as Pixis, because it was Darius who brought people into the Coven like Hanji Zoe and Nanaba, who - despite being two very, _very_ strange vampires, created means to keep them all fed without forcing them to kill humans for it.

Beside Zackly sat the Elder’s adopted daughter Krista and her lover Ymir, and Erwin couldn’t help but feel his still heart filling with warmth at the sight of Krista, because the beautiful vampire-princess was the heart and soul of their Coven. She was a good, innocent soul, and she brought Ymir into the Coven when she found the tall, brown haired woman half dead in a village the coven was passing through almost three hundred years ago.

Ymir accepted the bite with her dying breath and she was the first and only human Krista turned, later begging her stepfather to allow her and Ymir to be together, something Zackly agreed to when he saw the love that bloomed between the two women.

Next to Ymir was Hanji Zoe - resident healer, doctor, chemist and everything else connected to science. She was brought into the Coven a little over a hundred years after Erwin and ever since then there hasn’t been a quiet day in their residence unless she was out. Everyone loved her, and yet they feared her, because when Hanji Zoe was on a mission things either ended up bloody or they reached another breakthrough.

 _‘Well, the saying does go that genius and insanity go hand in hand,’_ Erwin thought to himself as he offered a small bow of his head to Hanji who grinned brightly in return, hopping in her place as they waited for the meeting to start.

Erwin glanced to his left at Mike, finding his best friend sitting calmly with arms crossed over his chest, light grey gaze pointed at something only he could see. Next to Mike was Nanaba, Hanji’s partner in crime and Mike’s Mate. Unlike Hanji, Nanaba was all too good at hiding her _strange_ side - to put it lightly - behind calm smiles, grace and poise, and yet there was not a single member of the Coven that didn’t know not to piss off Nanaba. First she’d make you pay, and then - if anything’s felt of you, Mike would get a turn, and then maybe - just maybe - if you’re unlucky enough to have survived both Nanaba and Mike, you would face Hanji, and _no one_ wanted that.

Beside Nanaba sat Eren, Mikasa and Armin, and the only reason they were present at the meeting was because they were with Erwin last night. Eren and Armin looked more than slightly uncomfortable while Mikasa looked as though she was just _waiting_ for someone to throw a degrading comment in Eren’s direction.

Eren was the only werewolf in the Coven, and the only reason why he was still alive was because Erwin vouched for him and took Eren under his wing, Armin and Mikasa having begged for the bite to be able to stay by Eren’s side forever.

They found Eren almost thirty years ago in a small village in Germany. Mike and Erwin went there to meet up with Dr. Jäger, Eren’s father, the man having left the Coven over a century earlier for reasons until then unknown to them. Mike and Erwin were supposed to meet up with him because the man had information he wanted to share with them.

Unfortunately the only thing they found there was blood and gore, Grisha Jäger and his wife Carol having been killed by werewolves.

Only Mike’s exceptional sense of smell brought them to Eren who ran away and hid with his adopted human sister Mikasa at Armin’s house. It was a shock to both Mike and Erwin when they realized that Eren was a werewolf, born from a union of Grisha and Carol who was a werewolf, something that was forbidden among vampires. It was then that Mike and Erwin realized why Grisha left their Coven. He took Carol as his wife and they had Eren - a child that was forbidden and doomed to die.

But Erwin saw Eren’s heart. He saw the hatred Eren had for werewolves; he saw the love the child had for humanity and the control he showed even at the delicate age of hardly twelve winters. Erwin saw the love Armin and Mikasa held for Eren, and he couldn’t find it in his heart to obey the rules of their Coven, deciding to take the children with him and Mike.

It was Pixis who ultimately made Zackly accept Eren and change Mikasa and Armin, and even though there were still some who didn’t trust Eren, all three of them proved to be important assets after having been trained by Erwin, Mike and Keith Shadis, the man who taught Erwin everything about combat and warfare and the man they were waiting for at the moment.

As though on cue, the heavy double door opened and Shadis walked in, marching towards his seat right across from Erwin around the big round table, and Erwin glanced to the side when Zackly and Pixis raised their heads, their quiet conversation quickly dying in favor of starting the meeting.

“Ah, it is nice of you to join us, Shadis!” Pixis spoke, brushing his right index finger and thumb over the thick, white mustache, lips tilting in an obvious, teasing smirk.

“Shut up, Pixis,” Shadis bit out as he took a seat at the table, huffing in annoyance as he glanced towards Erwin who merely offered a small smile. “It was difficult to make heads and tails of the data Erwin and his team gathered on their last mission. If it weren’t for Mike’s decoding, it would have been impossible.”

“I believe this is the reason behind this meeting,” Zackly spoke calmly, elbows perched on top of the table and fingers entwined in front of his lips as he gazed at Shadis over the upper rim of his square-shaped glasses, and Erwin ducked his head a bit, glancing at the stack of papers he had compiled in the last moment while Zackly continued speaking, “Which is why I am asking Commander Erwin Smith to stand and report the happenings of yesterday’s mission so that we may decide on our next course of action.”

Erwin stood up, back straight and shoulders squared, his expression unreadable as ever, tips of his fingers touching the table as he glanced at each of the faces surrounding him. “Thank you Elder Zackly,” he spoke, deep voice echoing around the room, “and thank you General Shadis for your efforts in decoding our data. Unfortunately, since the werewolves started using advanced technology we must keep encrypting everything to guarantee our safety.”

Erwin took the papers in front of him and offered them to Pixis, the older vampire gifting him with a small smile before he took one of them and handed the others to Zackly.

“The papers which you will soon receive,” Erwin continued, clasping his hands behind his back, “carry detailed information about the man we suspect was the target of yesterday’s assault, but I will get to that in a bit.” He nodded at Mike when the man showed he received the last of the papers and Erwin took a deep, unnecessary breath before continuing. “We have started the mission promptly at sun-fall…”

* * *

Levi sighed as he finished feeding the animals before locking up for the day. He has been so busy that he had hardly any time to think about what happened last night, but now, as everything finally calmed down and he was getting ready to retreat into his small, isolated house on the outskirts of Sina, Levi couldn’t stop his mind from wondering into what he deemed as forbidden territory, coming up with various theories about who Eren was and where he ran off to.

He refused - _absolutely refused_ to admit that he was actually worried about the brat, because chances were he would never see Eren again, and if he _did_ there was no telling that he wouldn’t end up _dead_ for all he knew, because really - whatever Eren was he wasn’t human and Levi most _certainly_ didn’t believe that if there were more people like Eren out there - and he believed there _were_ \- that they could have remained hidden if they left loose threads all around the world, right?

Now, Levi wasn’t about to pack his bags and run for warmer parts of God’s green Earth just because of the little chance he’d meet his end by the hands of whatever Eren and hisfriendswere. Heck, he didn’t live through everything he did just to run away on the _small_ chance he stumbled upon something forbidden.

And if he were to be perfectly honest, he was… _intrigued,_ although he hit his head against a proverbial wall when he thought that for the first time.

Who _wouldn’t_ be at least _slightly_ interested if they had seen the same thing as Levi? What was even worse - and what trampled on his better judgment - Levi kept the bullets he pulled out of Eren and quickly examined them in the morning when he woke up while he sipped on his first cup of tea.

Whatever chemical was lacing the bullets it was _extremely_ corrosive, since it all but melted the glass within fifteen minutes.

Levi sighed and shook his head as he made sure that all the windows were shut before checking the front door. It took him less than ten minutes to clean up what was left, and then he made his way to the back door turning the alarm system on and locking the door before he made his way to his trusty black _Mazda Verisa_ , making sure all doors were locked before he tied his seatbelt and started the engine.

Driving out onto the main street Levi let go of a heavy sigh and fell into the long line of cars moving towards the highway going out of the city. Without really paying attention to what he was doing, Levi turned on the radio and relaxed in his seat, remaining focused on the traffic, but listening to the music with half an ear, although questions and various theories still roamed freely in his mind.

Levi’s eyebrows narrowed as rain started to fall again, and he sat straighter in his seat, fingers wrapping loosely around the steering wheel after he shifted gears.

He had absolutely no idea what was going on, and he was absolutely certain that he didn’t _want_ to know.

Not really.

Knowledge wasn’t always power. Knowledge sometimes meant danger. It meant an unnecessary risk. It meant the possibility of losing everything.

“Like I have anything to lose,” he muttered under his breath, the left corner of thin lips tilting up mirthlessly, silver eyes shadowing with something bitter and heavy.

Red light at the crossroads made him stop, and Levi huffed as he relaxed against the backrest, gaze landing on the faded photo of three people tucked into a small side slot. His own - albeit younger - face was turned to the side, while two others grinned up at him, both with hands raised in victory signs and huge, bright grins on their faces.

As Levi trailed his fingers over the surface of the aged photo with a gentle caress of the tips of his fingers, he failed to see the lights turn green, and he startled when a horn sounded behind him, quickly changing gears as he shook his head and drove on.

Swallowing with slight difficulties Levi blinked quickly, the suspicious glassy gleam disappearing as fast as it appeared, and his expression again became dull.

“Stupid,” he pressed out through his teeth, glancing through the rearview mirror and taking the turn which would take him off of the highway and down a side road leading towards his little haven. “This can’t get any shittier than it already is,” he grumbled and turned the volume of the radio up, attempting to drown his thoughts.

But no matter how hard he tried, his gaze kept straying to the photo, and his thoughts kept going back to Eren.

And despite not wanting to worry about the kid, despite wanting to forget everything, Levi couldn’t it.

“Tche!” he pressed his teeth together tightly, a nerve beside his right eye twitching as he all but floored the gas-pedal, seeing that there were hardly any cars around him. “Forget about it, Levi,” he bit out, right hand landing on the gear-shift-stick, the engine groaning under strain as Levi drove faster. “Just forget about it already.”

He turned the volume up as much as he could without cringing at the decibels and focused on the road in front of him, relaxing more and more as he drove further away from the city and the trees lining the sides of the road grew in number.

And as he drowned his thoughts in music, focusing completely on the road and erasing all thought of Eren from his mind, Levi failed to notice a few big shapes running between trees to the side of the road keeping up with him with hardly any problems.

There would come a time when he would wish that he paid more attention.

But would it already be too late?

* * *

“And now, if you would please take a look at the files I have given you,” Erwin requested, as composed and as calm as ever, watching as everyone took a look at the files. “In short, the man whose files you have in your hands is known as Levi Ackerman-”

“Ackerman?” gasped Krista and looked at her father with wide eyes before those cerulean depths settled on Erwin who nodded minutely. “You mean-”

“That isn’t possible,” Zackly interrupted her and looked at Erwin. “The Ackerman surname doesn’t mean what it meant seven hundred years ago. And according to this file, there is no way that he is connected to the old bloodlines.”

“Elder Zackly is right,” Mikasa spoke, offering Krista a kind smile. “My father carried the Ackerman name as well, and yet I have no connection to the old bloodlines.”

“So it is mere coincidence?” Mike asked and looked up at Erwin, finding the blond staring with slightly narrowed eyes at the photo in the file in front of him.

“It could be,” Erwin answered. “Unfortunately, there is no way for us to make sure. There is no official record of birth anywhere, and neither his mother’s nor his father’s names were written in the database of the orphanage he grew up in.”

“So we have nothing on him, and we’re losing time discussing him while we should be making plans on how to deal with the _beasts_ ,” Shadis spoke in obvious disdain, receiving a hateful stare from Mikasa while Armin raised his left hand and wrapped it around Eren’s right, the werewolf having ducked his head with a wince.

“I am afraid that Mr. Ackerman seems to be in some way connected to the werewolves, since - according to gathered data - they appeared to be after him yesterday,” Erwin spoke, and no one - least of all Shadis - failed to notice the slight cold undertone which appeared quite suddenly, lacing the velvety growl that was Erwin’s voice, “Which is why I suggest that we pay Mr. Ackerman a visit as soon as possible.”

“We have other things-”

“Shadis!” the man shut up when Zackly snapped at him, looking away from the Elder, while Zackly looked at Erwin with a stare that said much more than words ever could. “Erwin, whatever the werewolves want from Mr. Ackerman can’t be good. I want him brought here for questioning.”

“Questioning?” Eren spoke up and everyone looked at him, finding the werewolf staring at Zackly with wide eyes, specks of fear making the one golden eye shine brighter while the teal one seemed somehow darker.

“Do you have anything to add, Eren?” Zackly asked, looking at Eren with slightly narrowed eyes, the werewolf swallowing audibly as he stood up, head ducked and body stiff as a board.

“I - I’m sorry, Elder Zackly, but…” Eren stuttered out, fisting his hands by his sides. “I just thought that - that you might have a wrong impression of M - Mr. Levi.”

“He’s wanted by werewolves for whatever reason, Eren,” Ymir spoke up, sounding bored and disinterested, although her Prussian blue eyes were focused on Eren’s minutely trembling form. “I think we have the right to be wary of him.” Eren huffed shortly and ducked his head a bit lower.

The young werewolf never _did_ like being in the presence of anyone but Mikasa, Armin, Erwin, Hanji, Nanaba and Mike, sometimes spending just a bit of time with Krista if Ymir wasn’t there. Not everyone accepted Eren, and the werewolf preferred to just stay out of everyone’s way, sticking to those he knew wouldn’t judge him for something he would never be able to change no matter how much he wants to.

“But he saved my life,” Eren muttered although everyone heard him clearly. “He carried me out of there without even thinking about it, and he took the bullets out and tended to my wounds. He could have gotten killed, but instead of running away like any other human would, he stayed and helped me.”

“He sounds like a kind man,” Krista spoke, voice like the tingling of little bells in a summer breeze. Eren raised his head offering a small smile to their princess, and Krista returned it equally as Eren nodded.

“He is, m’lady,” he answered before looking at Zackly, Pixis and finally Erwin. The Commander bowed his head a bit, lips tilting into the smallest of smiles and Eren took a deep breath before he looked at Zackly again, “Which is why, sir - with all due respect - I want to visit Mr. Levi and talk to him about this myself. I owe him my life. The least I can do is make sure that he is alright.”

“If he knows too much-”

“That can be handled,” Erwin cut Shadis off and stood straighter, staring his old mentor down, and Shadis scoffed and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest while Erwin turned to Zackly and Pixis, a smirk tugging on his lips when he found his Sire so obviously suppressing laughter visible in the way Pixis’ mustache kept twitching under his nose. “Elder Zackly, I am asking for permission to visit Mr. Ackerman with Eren, and would like to move out right away. We don’t know what the werewolves want from him, and the risk of them catching him before us grows the longer we wait.”

“Only the two of you will go, though,” Zackly answered, narrowing thick eyebrows at Mikasa and Armin when they lurched forward to contradict him, the two immediately pulling back, knowing that defying Zackly’s order would mean nothing good.

Despite being very lenient and kind, Zackly was in no way weak or easily swayed, and everyone knew that once he gave out an order, the chances of him changing his mind were practically nonexistent. No one knew how Erwin managed to talk Zackly into letting Eren live, and no one really wanted to.

It was not an unknown fact that Erwin was pretty much capable of getting whatever he wants whatever means necessary. It was also known that should anything happen to Zackly or Pixis, Erwin would be the one to lead their Coven since Krista refused the title of heiress.

Erwin only had the best interests of the Coven at heart and for that he was highly respected and loved, although he was also feared by many, especially those who only superficially followed the rules or attempted to go against the decisions of the Elders.

“We will move out right away.” Erwin bowed at Zackly and Pixis before he exchanged a glance with Mike who nodded minutely, and Erwin showed Eren to follow him, the two marching out of the room without looking back, knowing that Mikasa and Armin wouldn’t follow them although they _would_ spend the following hours annoying everyone by walking around the manor like two wraiths.

“Do you think we should go to the clinic first?” Eren asked as they made their way towards the garage, the younger walking a few steps behind Erwin.

“We have his home address in the file,” Erwin answered, pushing the door of the garage open and walking briskly down the middle towards his silver _Bentley_ _Continental_ , the double beep of the car unlocking echoing against stone walls when Erwin pressed the button on the key which he pulled out of the left pocket of his tight black jeans. “And we have to hurry,” he spoke as they entered the car, neither bothering with the seat-belts as Erwin started the engine and drove towards the already opening garage-door. “If I remember correctly work hours are just about over and he should be making his way home. He lives a fair distance from the city. Since they didn’t manage to get him yesterday, I think they’ll try taking him today.”

“Will we make it in time?” Eren asked wide-eyed, leaning forward as though he would jump out of the car and run instead, even though Erwin was driving far above the speed-limit and Eren would have difficulties following even if he shifted and ran at full speed.

“We will,” Erwin answered, not even a shadow of a doubt lacing his voice, and Eren swallowed thickly, settling in his seat as he crossed his arms over his chest, glancing out into the consuming darkness of the night which settled over the world.

He really hoped they would be there in time.

* * *

Levi let go of a long, heavy breath as he walked into his small house, locking the door behind him as he toed off his shoes. He put them in the cupboard under the coat-hanger before tucking his feet in the comfortable slippers and making his way into the living room.

“Raja?” he called out tiredly, lips tilting up for the smallest of fragments when a quiet mewl came as an answer and his orange tabby hopped over to him. “There you are,” he murmured as he bowed down and allowed the cat to climb his right arm. Raja settled comfortably over Levi’s shoulders, nuzzling his face into Levi’s cheek as his human made his way towards the kitchen, weary silver gaze landing shortly on the piano placed against one wall with a cello and a chair beside it.

Huffing and shaking his head, Levi entered the kitchen, going straight for the fridge, his left hand settling on Raja’s head, the cat immediately purring loudly. Just as Levi bowed forward trying to find something edible in the fridge, the cat draped over his shoulders suddenly tensed up, the purring stopping abruptly, and Levi winced when claws scraped his neck as Raja jumped off of his shoulders.

“Oy, Raja!” he snapped rubbing his neck with his left hand and squinting at the tabby, sighing when he found only a few traces of blood, glad that Raja didn’t cut him deeper. “What happened, boy?” he asked as he looked at the cat which stood in front of the back door, hackles rising and a steady hiss rolling between bared teeth.

Levi looked at the door with narrowed eyes, lightning flashing outside followed by thunder clashing, and Levi’s heart started beating just a bit faster as he walked backwards towards one of the counters, grabbing the handle of a kitchen-knife and taking it firmly into his hand before he slowly made his way towards the door.

With another flash of thunder Levi caught a shadow moving quickly past the big window to his left and his eyes widened, the ringing in his ears growing louder as Raja moved backwards, stomach almost touching the tiled floor as the tabby’s bushy tail swayed from side to side.

Levi twitched, his hold on the knife tightening as he shifted his stance when the shadow flashed past the window again.

 _‘It’s just the storm,’_ he thought to himself, although bitter acid started gathering in his throat already and he felt as though his stomach filled with lead, becoming overly aware of every single sound - or lack thereof.

Levi could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears, unconsciously taking small steps away from the door. A shadow of an undefined shape appeared in the window of the back door and Levi’s eyes widened when thunder clashed again.

“Fuck!” he cursed, jumping in his place when the doorbell sounded, and Raja let go of a loud, panicked mewl, running off to hide somewhere while Levi stood in his place, breathing as though he ran a marathon.

The doorbell rang again and Levi cursed under his breath, hurrying to the front door, the knife hidden behind his back. He climbed to his toes to look through the peep-hole, his eyes widening when he saw who it was, his heartbeat slowing down just a bit for whatever strange reason and in spite of this annoying little voice in the back of his mind telling him that this could very well be his last evening among the living.

He wondered briefly if they’d at least let Raja live.

“Mr. Levi?!” the raven haired man hopped in his place and took a step back from the door, glancing around quickly. “Could you please open the door? I know it’s late, but it’s urgent!”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Levi wasn’t even aware that he was cursing as he tried to decide what to do. His gaze landed on his jacket and he quickly placed the knife in the pocket, making sure the handle was covered by a sleeve. He brushed his hands through his hair, taking a deep calming breath to regain his composure, and as he forced down a difficult swallow, he unlocked the door and open them, his eyes widening minutely when he realized that Eren wasn’t alone.

“Mr. Levi!” the heterochromic eyes widened, glowing with relief, the young man grinning brightly although he looked like a drenched pup with his hair looking like a bird’s nest and his clothes clinging to his lithe physique. “Thank god you’re alright!” Eren exclaimed happily, but Levi wasn’t really paying attention to him anymore. The silver-eyed man was too busy staring at the mountain _behind_ Eren.

Tall, blond, regal, absolutely stunning and _killing_ Levi with that gaze that seemed to have captured everything that was perfectly blue.

“It is best if we get inside,” Erwin spoke, and the velvety quality of his voice sent a shiver down Levi’s spine.

Although a cold gust of wind blew around them in that moment, so it could have been that as well.

“It’s almost midnight,” Levi drawled, crossing his arms over his chest and doing his best to appear utterly relaxed and unconcerned, hoping that - whatever Eren and his tall, blond friend were - they weren’t able to hear Levi’s madly beating heart. “What makes you think I want you here?”

“Believe me, Mr. Ackerman,” Erwin answered, right corner of his lips tilting up when Levi looked at him, harsh silver eyes narrowing defiantly, and Erwin felt a shiver of something yet unfelt in his vampire life trailing down his spine. “You would do well to invite us in.”

Levi stared at Erwin for what felt like a small eternity, Eren glancing from one to the other with wide eyes, shoulders tense and hands fisted by his sides. It felt as though there was a string between Erwin and Levi being pulled on both sides as hard as possible, the two just waiting to see when it would snap.

“Tche,” Levi closed his eyes and took a step to the side, pushing the door open as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Get in,” he bit out, turning his head away from Eren and Erwin as they walked past him.

Eren looked around with a big grin on his face the moment they walked into the living room, his eyes widening when he saw the piano and cello to his left, and he spun on his heel as Erwin walked past the werewolf and took a seat in one black armchair.

“Which one do you play?” Eren asked, grinning at Levi who walked over to the armchair facing Erwin and took a seat heavily, crossing his arms and legs and doing his best to glare at both of them as though the annoyance rolling off of him in waves wasn’t enough to tell the other two that they were less than welcome.

“Neither,” Levi bit out and turned his head away from Eren whose happiness seemed to vanish in a second, and he looked at Levi like a kicked pup.

“Eren, why don’t you take a look around while I talk with Mr. Ackerman?” Erwin suggested and Eren frowned at him lightly, glancing at Levi before he nodded at the Commander and quietly left the living-room.

Levi looked at Erwin from under straight-falling fringe, thin black eyebrows narrowed as silver eyes took Erwin in with clinical detachment and harsh scrutiny, making Erwin feel as though he was being dissected.

“What are you two?” Levi blurted out and Erwin raised eyebrows at the raven-haired man, the bluntness having obviously stunned him momentarily, but Erwin wasn’t and has never been slow, recovering quickly as he perched his elbows on the armrests and stapled his fingers in front of his chest.

“Maybe we should take this slower, Mr. Ackerman-”

“It’s Levi,” he interrupted in a drawl, and Erwin cocked an eyebrow at him. “I never was and never will be an _Ackerman_.” Even though in may have sounded as though Levi was resentful towards the surname, Erwin detected no real emotion behind it, and while he couldn’t exactly understand why Levi refused to be addressed by that surname, Erwin assumed it was because it was given to Levi in the orphanage, just like his name.

“As you wish, Levi” Erwin nodded in acceptance, not missing the quick flash of confusion which passed over Levi’s eyes, “As I was saying, we have other things to discuss.” Erwin entwined his fingers on top of his left knee and offered a small smile to the raven-haired man, looking straight in Levi’s harsh eyes.

It was doubtful that even Mike who knew Erwin best would see the inner turmoil Erwin was experiencing at that moment. There was not a single thing visible that could betray the confusion coursing through him, or the surprising _desire_ which ignited his blood the moment he got a good whiff of Levi’s absolutely _unique_ scent.

There, in that small room, Levi’s scent was dulled by various smells Erwin recognized as cleaning liquids, and a single glance around the room confirmed that there was hardly a single _speck_ of dust on the surfaces even though Erwin knew that Levi had spent the day at the animal clinic he owned.

But that was not what mattered.

Sitting there, across from Levi, the human’s scent lingering in Erwin’s nostrils, Levi’s heartbeat echoing in Erwin’s ears and his warmth rolling over the vampire even though they were a good two meters away from one another, Erwin was almost a hundred percent certain that he had met the human somewhere before, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember _when_ or _where_.

For a man who prided himself in remembering details, knowing everything that needed to be known, _that_ was quite a problem.

“What other things?” Levi asked, forcing Erwin to focus, and the vampire offered a small smile, resisting the sudden urge to shift in his place and clear his throat. He hasn’t done that in over five hundred years and he won’t start doing that again.

“First and foremost, I am Erwin Smith,” he spoke calmly, bowing his head minutely at the human across from him, “you already know Eren. I would like to thank you for taking care of my charge. As you may have seen yesterday, myself and the other two were otherwise occupied-”

“You mean, you were fighting people that definitely weren’t _human_ ,” Levi cut Erwin off, obviously feeling no qualms about going head to head with a man he knew nothing about, “and it was more important to catch _them_ than help your injured _charge_.” Levi’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, something akin to annoyance and obvious disrespect turning silver eyes a darker shade of gray.

Those sharp, unforgiving eyes widened for the smallest of fragments when Erwin’s head titled to the left a bit with a slight shake, and a hardly audible, short laugh escaped the blond.

“I have seen you,” Erwin spoke, eyes opening to look at Levi from under thick eyebrows, and for a brief second Levi couldn’t help but think that Erwin’s eyes were such a shade of blue that there was no way anything could copy it, natural or unnatural. “Seconds before I was about to issue an order for Armin to stay behind and help Eren, I’ve seen you running for the kiosk. I’ve seen you carry Eren out. The only logical thing to do in that moment was to make sure him and you wouldn’t be attacked.”

Levi stared at Erwin in silence for a moment, and then thin lips pursed and he turned his head slightly to the right, crossed arms pressing closer to his chest, and Erwin smirked when he heard the rhythm of Levi’s heartbeat quicken up just a bit.

“Commander?” the werewolf chose that moment to walk into the living room making Levi and Erwin glance in his direction, the raven haired man frowning in worry while Erwin stared deep in Eren’s eyes as though he could read his mind. “Everything’s clear, for now, but I found this little guy,” Eren spoke with a grin and raised his hands within which he held Raja who looked petulant and utterly displeased along with fairly chastised as he hung from Eren’s hands like a bag of potatoes. “He’s a lively little fellow! Tried to scratch me up, but I managed to catch him!”

“Raja,” Levi spoke in a bored tone and the cat within Eren’s hold seemed to shrink further in on himself, ears lying flat as a sound between a mewl and a hiss filled the strained silence. With something resembling a grumble Raja relaxed completely making Eren’s eyebrows touch the line of his hair. Not a moment later Raja started wiggling and mewling, forcing Eren to let go of the tabby, but to the werewolf’s surprise the cat hopped along Eren’s left arm before draping himself over Eren’s shoulders, tucking its chilly black nose behind Eren’s right ear.

“Heh!” Eren grinned brightly and scratched Raja’s head with the tips of his fingers, “He’s cute when he’s not all defensive!” he said as he made his way to the couch and took a seat in it, looking at Levi with a hesitant glance.

“He doesn’t trust strangers,” Levi answered in a monotone, looking away from Eren, silver eyes focusing on the tea-table between him and Erwin instead. It looked as though Levi was contemplating something, the air feeling thick in so many ways, and Eren turned to his commander with an expression off loss, clearly not knowing what to say or do.

When Levi sighed and shook his head slowly, Erwin and Eren looked at him, finding the raven-haired man raising his head to look at Eren.

“How are your wounds?” he asked and Eren tried to smile, not really knowing why Levi looked as though he swallowed a really sour lemon while asking that, appearing as though he didn’t really care, although neither Erwin nor Eren missed the hardly audible note of concern in Levi’s voice.

“All healed!” the werewolf spoke happily, clasping his hands between his thighs as he nodded enthusiastically, hoping that his easy going behavior and big smile would at least make Levi relax. “All thanks to you, Mr. Levi.”

“I find it hard to believe that,” Levi drawled dryly, staring at Eren with a disinterested gaze, shocking the werewolf into silence, mismatched eyes widening.

“I can show you if you want-”

“I’m afraid we don’t have time for that,” Erwin interrupted the exchange, making Eren tense up, remembering the reason behind their visit while Levi narrowed thin eyebrows at the commander. “We’re here on official business as it is, and I am afraid that there is little time to explain everything.”

“Well _maybe_ you should get to it then and get the fuck out of here!” Levi bit out, a nerve beside his right eye twitching, something resembling a growl hitching in his throat when Erwin merely hummed and crossed massive arms over his broad chest, ducking his head a bit and looking at Levi from under thick eyebrows.

“The men we fought yesterday,” Erwin started, hearing Levi swallow thickly, sharp eyes not missing the rise and fall of the man’s Adam’s apple, “through data we’ve collected, we came to the conclusion that they were initially after you.”

Levi’s eyes widened and every muscle in his body coiled, jaw going slack although his lips remained firmly shut, and Eren leaned forward, right hand resting on Raja’s head as though he was instinctively trying to protect the cat from the horrible news his master had just received.

“What?” Levi pressed out through his teeth and Erwin frowned as he looked at the tea-table between them.

“We don’t know what they wanted from you, but if we hadn’t been there they would have taken you,” Erwin continued, tone grave as he tried to come up with the simplest way to inform Levi that he was - in fact - hunted not by normal men but by werewolves, although by the question Levi asked earlier Erwin felt it was alright to conclude that Levi had his doubts about them not being human.

“Whatever gave you that idea, you can stuff it,” Levi muttered as he stood up, and while Eren stared at the silver-eyed male with mouth hanging open and pleading eyes, Erwin scowled at the human, watching the slight frame turn slightly from him and Eren, Levi’s eyes focused on something only he could see. “I have no idea what your shitty _friends_ would want from me, and I want nothing to do with it. You know where the doors are. Get out. Some of us actually have something to do with our lives besides go around talking _bullshit_ to people.”

“They are _werewolves_ ,” Erwin spoke firmly, noticing the slight tensing of Levi’s shoulders, long-fingered hands curling into tight fists.

“Ha!” Levi tilted his head to the side, pupils just small, hardly visible dots drowning in silver as he looked at Erwin, thin lips tilted in such a strange, mirthless, _emotionless_ grin that it sent a shiver down Eren’s spine. “Are you fucking kidding me?” Levi drawled, voice suddenly deeper.

“We’re not!” Eren cried out, Raja hissing and jumping off of Eren’s shoulders, even though no one paid any attention to the cat at that point. “I’m a werewolf too!” Eren stood up, and raised his wet shirt, showing off his stomach, and Levi’s eyes widened minutely when he saw that only two fading rosy spots were all that was left of life-threatening wounds Eren received just yesterday.

“And I am a vampire,” Erwin added facing Levi’s unreadable stare with a mask of calm indifference, although he was everything but. He felt as though something cold was crawling up and down his spine, a sense of impending danger making his guts fill with lead, and for the first time in a long while it took every single piece of self-control Erwin had to stop his legs from hopping, this jittery feeling being something he hasn’t been forced to deal with since his early years as a vampire.

“You’re insane, that’s what you are,” Levi muttered, expression again unreadable and his body slowly relaxing as he turned to face Erwin head on, silver eyes darkening to almost black and right corner of thin lips curling in more than obvious distaste. “Both of you,” Levi glanced to the side when Eren let go of something resembling a panicked whimper. “Now get the fuck out of my-”

It happened in less than a second, and no amount of analyzing or thinking about it would ever help Levi understand how he found himself on the floor.

“Commander!” the startled cry of the younger werewolf echoed through the deaf silence, but Levi hardly heard it. The only thing he could focus on was a pair of pure, luminescent blue eyes staring down at him, sharp fangs protruding over a full, pale bottom lip glimmering threateningly. Levi quickly became aware of two big, cold hands wrapped around his wrists, holding them pinned to the wooden floor above his head, and for just a second, Levi allowed himself to take in the sheer _strength_ of the well-built body looming over him, back-lit by the light of the ceiling-lamp right above them.

“They are after you, _Levi,_ ” Erwin spoke slowly - voice deeper, distorted - and Levi felt something coil in the pit of his stomach, breath hitching somewhere in his lungs. “And while we don’t know yet _why_ , it would be in your best interest to come with us.”

“Get off of me, dickbag,” Levi pressed out through tightly clenched teeth, glaring up at Erwin who merely smirked at him.

“We are being nice,” Erwin answered, bowing lower until his face was inches away from Levi’s, the vampire tilting his head to the left a bit and taking a short breath through his nose, as though he was sniffing Levi. “We could have taken you against your will, and believe me, the only reason why you don’t have at least three more vampires in your home right now is because Eren spoke in your favor.”

Levi dared a glance towards the werewolf who stood rooted in his place, hands raised as though he wanted to do something, but standing frozen as though he knew better than to actually act.  

“Now,” Erwin continued, eyes glimmering with something unnamed as the corners of his lips tilted upwards, and Levi swallowed thickly, a shiver wrecking his body despite his efforts to stay completely still, “you may find all of this difficult to believe, and I do know that trusting us at this point is too much to ask of you, but if you value your life at all you will come with us peacefully, do I make myself clear?”

Levi really, truly contemplated spitting in Erwin’s face, kneeing him right in that massive cock outlined by tight trousers and running for the kitchen to grab a knife since it was closer than the hallway and the jacket hiding the big one.

But before Levi could do anything, Raja ran into the room with a loud yowl, and not a second later, to Levi’s horror, four loud howls broke the sound of rain hitting glass windows. Not a second later, massive bodies broke through the windows in the room and the door in the kitchen, glass shattering and wood breaking.

“Eren!” was the only thing Levi heard before he found himself pressed against a hard body, his eyes widening when Erwin wrapped one massive arm around Levi’s shoulders, holding him close, silver eyes catching sight of a gun Erwin pulled from a holster possibly located on the small of his back.

“Fuck!!” Levi cursed without realizing he did, struggling to cover his ears with his hands within Erwin’s tight hold when gunshots echoed through the room. His eyes widened and he choked up when a loud roar interrupted gunshots, the sound of sharp teeth snapping, of harsh hissing and spitting, and huge feet stepping onto wood and shattered glass, all off it somehow covering the sound of the biblical downpour outside, although Levi’s ears started ringing when a loud clash of thunder brought a sudden bout of silence.

“Traitor!!” the roar broke the ringing in Levi’s ears, but the arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders made it impossible for him to turn around and see the bastards who broke into his house and ruined _everything_.

“The only real traitors here are _you_!”

 _‘Eren?’_ the human wondered, his heartbeat stuttering and throat closing up, because - in all honesty - the werewolf with those strange mismatched eyes sounded _nothing_ like himself, and Levi had no idea how he recognized that distorted, growling voice as Eren’s.

“Surrender the human and you may live.” Levi almost bit his tongue when Erwin pressed him closer to himself, the human unable to see _anything_ because the vampire’s other arm was raised probably aiming the gun at the intruders, and the black, leather coat Erwin wore concealed everything from sight, making Levi feel as though he was encased within a cocoon, almost completely concealed from sight because of how _big_ Erwin was compared to him.

“Kenny Ackerman,” Levi snapped his mouth tightly shut when Erwin spoke up, feeling the vampire’s chest vibrate with the growl lacing his deep voice, “it surprises me that you are still among the living.”

“I’ve always been a tough nut to crack,” the heavily accented voice of this _Kenny_ sent a shiver down Levi’s spine. If he had to describe it, Levi would say that Kenny sounded more like a slimy _snake_ than a human or _whatever_. Sly and saturated with malice, it made Levi’s stomach churn, and he unconsciously moved closer to Erwin, feeling the vampire’s hand wrap around his left shoulder, sharp nails almost digging into Levi’s skin through the thin material of his black Henley, “Which can be said for you as well, _Erwin Smith_.”

“What do you want with Mr. Levi?!” Eren snapped, and Levi felt the need to run. Every muscle in his body was coiled, his heart was beating too fast and he could hardly breathe what with being pressed against Erwin’s chest like this and the fact that -  _there are fucking werewolves and vampires around him and what the fuck is going on?!_

“That has nothing to do with you, _traitor_!” another voice joined the fray and the only thing Levi could think of was grabbing his cat and getting the fuck out of there as fast as his legs could carry him, although considering that the people after him were _werewolves_ \- and honestly, what in the bleeding _fuck_ was _with_ that!! - Levi didn’t think he would get far.

“Stand down, Smith, and hand the human over,” spoke _Kenny_ \- the man Levi for some reason only _then_ realized he shared the same surname with - a threatening growl lacing his voice, and Levi tried to twist just a little, a vain attempt to see who it was that came after him for yet unknown reasons.

“You’re not laying a _finger_ on Mr. Levi!” Eren snapped angrily and Levi’s heart clenched with the sudden realization that Eren was right in front of Erwin and him and that the young man was ready to fight to make sure Levi wouldn’t be taken. He was ready to fight four others to protect a man he hardly knew just because…

 _‘Why?’_ Levi thought frantically, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation. _‘Does he think he owes me his life or something?’_

 _*Commander Erwin!*_ the human’s eyes widened when a distorted murmur - a woman’s voice - reached his ears and he tilted his head up hardly able to see Erwin’s face, but he _did_ see the small speaker disguised as a button on the high collar of Erwin’s black, tight turtleneck, the voice most probably coming from there. _*ETA thirty seconds!*_

“What-”

“Listen…” Erwin cut Levi off so quietly the human almost didn’t catch it, especially since Eren was arguing with someone - or _three_ someones - and Levi’s heart was beating so hard in his ears he was surprised he could actually hear _anything_. “When I tell you to, run,” Levi’s eyes opened wide - wider than he thought possible - and for the briefest moment imaginable Levi thought his heart stopped beating. “Run into the forest and stop for nothing. I will find you.”

Levi choked up, something churning in his guts.

_I will find you._

“Do you understand me?” Erwin accented his words by squeezing Levi’s shoulder and the human nodded hurriedly, for some reason unable to stop those four words from echoing through his mind like a mantra of sorts.

“Good.” The hold Erwin had on Levi grew just a bit lighter, and only then did Levi realize that he had fisted his hands on Erwin’s thick, strong waist at some point, the raven-haired man feeling the hard muscles rippling slowly as the vampire shifted his stance almost unnoticeably so. “Run towards the front door. We will hold them back.”

“My cat-” Levi gasped even though he really couldn’t understand how he was capable of thinking about _anything_ at that moment, let alone Raja.

“Eren has him.” Levi eyes widened as he imagined briefly the brown haired man facing off the four werewolves with an orange tabby in his arms - a comical sight if anything, but somehow it made Levi’s heart clench for reasons beyond fear. “Get ready.”

 _‘How am I supposed to-’_ the human felt the sudden shift in the air before the sound of more glass shattering filled the air followed by gunshots, howls and roars, and before Levi could form a proper, coherent thought, the strong body holding him was suddenly gone.

“Take him!” Eren was in front of Levi within a second, thrusting a wiggling orange fur-ball into the human’s arms, a big hand pushing against Levi back making him stumble towards the door.

“Run!” without realizing what he was doing, Levi broke into a run, holding Raja firmly to his chest, paying no attention to small claws digging into his abdomen and shoulders. He tore the front door open, running out into the pouring rain and past the two cars parked one beside the other.

For a second he thought about getting into his car and driving away, but he didn’t have his keys, and stopping even for a _second_ could mean he would get caught, so he ran.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, as fast as he could through mud and puddles of water between steadily thickening trees.

He could hardly see anything in front of him, dodging trees in the last second, slipping and tripping so many times he lost count, but he got back to his feet and kept running, running, running as though his life depended on it.

And for all he knew it did.

_I will find you._

A startled cry escaped him when he slipped and rolled down a hill, Raja mewling pathetically, and Levi curled around his cat, protecting him from harm. He cried out when he hit a tree, his left shoulder _screaming_ in pain pulsating through his whole body, but all of a sudden he couldn’t move, remaining curled up on the ground, wet, covered in mud and breathing as though he will never fill his lungs with air again.

He could hardly hear Raja’s incessant mewling, as though the cat was trying to make his master move, do _something_ , but the pain of his shoulder was too big for him to even notice Raja’s claws digging into his chest.

_I will find you._

_‘How did it come to this?’_ Levi thought to himself, his breathing slowly returning to normal, heartbeat slowing down, but such a weakness overwhelmed him, such a need to just close his eyes and fall asleep washed over him that he could find no will to move.

_I will find you._

_‘Was it because I saved Eren? After all, no good deed goes unpunished.’_ Levi swallowed thickly, allowing his eyes to slide shut. He wrapped his left arm around Raja who stopped mewling loudly, a sad, continuous yowl escaping the cat, and Levi cupped his pet’s head with his left hand pressing it to his chest as he curled in on himself tighter.

_‘Or is this happening… because I couldn’t save them?’_

It seemed as though the rain started falling harder and Levi slowly opened his eyes when he heard a distant howl.

_I will find you._

His heart gave a stronger beat when a vision of perfect blue - the color of summer skies reflecting in clearest waters - flashed before his eyes, unaware that the left corner of his lips curled up for the smallest of fragments as silver depths hid from the world again.

_‘Now that I think about it, I heard those words before.’_

_I will find you._

_‘But where?’_ the human slowly opened his eyes, although it felt like the biggest chore ever, and he swallowed thickly, tasting blood, thinking that he must have bitten his lip when he fell. _‘When have I heard it?’_

_When I die, I will die in front of you._

_‘What?’_ thin black eyes narrowed as Levi tried to hold on to those words echoing like a faint, distant memory through his mind. His whole body felt heavy, his eyes already slipping closed, but even in this dazed state Levi saw a huge black shape slowly moving towards him, a steady rumbling growl breaking the deafening silence, but neither of those spurred any reaction in him.

He was too tired, too weak, too _drained_ to bother.

 _‘I deserve this either way,’_ ran through his mind. There was a coppery taste of blood in his mouth, diluted by saliva and rain drenching him to the bone, and on the edges of his consciousness he knew that his whole body was shivering from the cold wind roughly rushing over him, but he couldn’t be bothered by any of it.

_Don’t die without me._

_‘Die?’_ The black shape moved closer and closer, huge paws squelching in the mud and puddles of water around him. _‘Am I really going to die here?’_

_I will find you._

“You see, Lawa?”

 _‘Levi,’_ he thought despite this strange lethargy which seemed to have overtaken him, the rumbling threatening voice sending shivers of utter disgust down his body. He felt Raja wiggling within his hold, but he couldn’t find the strength to move. He couldn’t find the _will_. _‘My name is Levi.’_

“Running never did you any good, did it?”

The huge _wolf_ stopped just a few footsteps away from him and straightened, standing on hind legs, ominous claws glimmering as they rose above Levi.

“You never should have left, Lawa.” The slimy, rumbling voice made acid gather in Levi’s throat, and if there was any strength left in his body he would have puked his soul out. “Six-hundred years, and all running did for you was make you suffer.”

_I will always find you, Lawa. Remember that._

_‘Erwin…’_

A flash of perfect blue danced in front of Levi’s eyes and unbeknownst to him, thin, bluish lips tilted into a small, hardly visible smile.

_Remember that when all seems lost._

“You don’t get to run anymore, Lawa. This time you _will_ be mine.”

Levi grunted when a huge _paw_ wrapped around his left arm and raised him into the air like a ragged doll. He thought he heard Raja hissing and spitting before letting go of a pained yowl, but Levi could do nothing looking through half-lidded eyes, his sight blurring and fading, into a pair of red orbs burning with glee and malice.

Breath stinking of blood and something sulfuric fanned over Levi’s face making his guts twist, and he didn’t know if he would faint or puke, although in all honesty, fainting sounded much better right now.

 _‘Maybe I’d finally wake up from this nightmare,’_ he thought, choking up a bit when a furry, clawed hand - nothing more than a paw of a _monster_ \- wrapped around his throat and _squeezed_.

“You’re not getting away again."

 _‘Yeah…’_ Thin lips tilted up into a smile, his heart beating in his ears again and lungs burning with lack of air. _‘This is all just a bad dream, and when I wake up…’_ his sight darkened, the only thing remaining visible being those horrible, horrible blood-red eyes surrounded by darkness. _‘When I wake up, everything will be alright.’_

“Scream for me, _Lawa_.”

_I will find you._

“LEVI!”

_‘Everything will be… alright.’_

* * *

**I hope you liked it!!!**

**More comes as soon as possible!**

**Thank you for all your wonderful, encouraging comments, and I hope you’ll tell me what you think for now!**

**I’ll try to have the next chapter out by Friday.**

**Love you all!**

**Oh!**

**And you can find me on Tumblr too! Look me up[ here](http://danchomademedoit.tumblr.com/)!**


	3. Dreams

_Do you think there is something in stories of past lives?_  
_I'd like to think there is. That would mean there's a chance of_  
 _future lives as well, that nothing really ends, only changes._  
 _I'd like to believe that._

_\- Levi_

* * *

Erwin took a deep breath as he buttoned up his black velvet shirt before rolling the sleeves up to his elbows and tucking it into his tight, black trousers. Turning on his heel he looked at the full length mirror lining the wall of the bathroom adjacent to his bedroom, gaze racking over his reflection as he raised his hands and fixed his hair, ignoring the truth of his existence being shown in the reflective surface which couldn’t be seen normally unless he willed it - the unnatural pallor of his skin, the platinum whiteness of his hair, the absolute blue of his eyes accented by hardly visible crinkles in the corners, the sharpness of his nails and the tips of fangs showing over his bottom lip.

He fixed the collar of his shirt before taking a deep, unnecessary breath, and then he walked out of the bathroom, quietly closing the door on his way out, gaze immediately settling on the king sized bed to Erwin’s left and the small man sleeping there, hardly visible under black, thick covers.

Erwin approached the bed, bare feet sinking into the thick rug, and he slowly took a seat beside Levi, sharp eyes taking in the pale face appearing almost luminescent when framed by nothing but black velvet, although the dark strands of Levi’s hair spreading over the soft pillow his head was resting on, appeared to be darker.

Black, lightly curved lashes rested upon pale, slightly clammy cheeks, the dark smudges under his eyes appearing darker because of how pale his skin was. Chapped, thin lips were slightly parted, each breath passing them sounding raspy and strained, and the white of the bandage wrapped around the sleeping man’s neck contrasted with his skin, appearing almost grey in comparison.

A frown marred Erwin’s face as memories of what happened mere hours ago flashed through his mind. If Mike and Nanaba hadn’t decided to go after him and Eren, they would have ended up dead and Levi would have been taken.

Mike and Nanaba appeared in the last moment, and Erwin could hardly form a clear image of what happened when they jumped into the house. He remembered pushing Levi away and telling him to run before he shifted and engaged Kenny, but he lost sight of the werewolf not long after having to help Nanaba with the Colossal.

The moment Erwin realized Kenny had slipped away, he left everything in the capable hands of Mike, Nanaba and Eren and ran after Kenny.

He almost didn’t make it in time.

Erwin couldn’t help but think that he would forever remember the sight he came upon. He would never - not even in a million years - be able to forget the huge beastly body of Kenny Ackerman which towered even over Mike’s impressive form, holding Levi in the air, left clawed hand wrapped around the thin neck and right wrapped around an arm which seemed so thin and fragile.

How he managed to make Kenny let go of Levi, Erwin didn’t know. If he had to be perfectly honest, Erwin would say that he lost control. He didn’t remember attacking Kenny with his normal level of iron-hard control, he didn’t calculate his attacks, he didn’t plan his precise moves, and now - thinking about it, analyzing the whole situation - Erwin couldn’t find an explanation.

The only thing he knew with utmost certainty was that he _needed to save Levi_. The only clear thought he remembered having in that moment was to save the raven haired man from the wolf, to erase the stench of the beast off of the lax body, to seal the wounds from which precious blood was flowing.

Through moments of darkness - while Erwin was aware that he was moving - the only thing he was conscious of were the howls of the beast. He came out of the fight unscathed, and the first clear thought he had, the first thing he became aware of was the lax body lying within his hold. The first thing he saw clearly was Levi’s face dirtied by blood and mud. The first sound he became completely aware of was Levi’s heartbeat. And the only scent he cared about was Levi’s.

He carried Levi back to the house, vaguely aware of the human’s cat following them from a safe distance. Erwin felt as though everything he did from that point was done on automatic. He still didn’t know why he brought Levi to his room and not to the infirmary within their manor, asking for Hanji to come see to Levi.

He remained in the room long enough for Hanji to confirm that Levi hasn’t been bitten and that Kenny’s claws didn’t go deep enough to cause a transformation before retreating into the bathroom intent on taking a shower and changing his clothes.

He managed to find Levi.

He managed to save him.

Never the less Levi was wounded. His left shoulder and side was heavily bruised, and the cuts along the inside of his upper left arm were deep enough to require stitching, and there was a possibility of Levi developing a fever, but the only thing Erwin found important was that the human was safe and as far away from Kenny Ackerman as possible.

Erwin woke up from his musings at the slight sound of movement, eyes the color of endless skies focusing on the pale face of the sleeping man. Levi’s chest rose and fell with each deep, raspy intake of air, thin eyebrows narrowed even in sleep, a slight crease marring the pale forehead, beads of sweat decorating the furrowed brow.

The vampire concentrated on the slow heartbeat, listening intently to the unique rhythm, and almost unconsciously, Erwin raised his right hand, caressing one pale cheek with the back of his fingers. He felt as though his own heart was beating again, as though something miraculous happened to connect Levi’s living heart with Erwin’s own. The human’s scent was surrounding him, the air thick with the beautiful aroma, and Erwin licked his lips. He could almost _taste_ Levi on his tongue.

 _‘But why do I feel like this?’_ he thought to himself as he traced the line of a thin eyebrow with the tip of his index finger before attempting to soothe out the crease above Levi’s nose, warmth spreading up his arm from the small point of contact. He settled his hand on Levi’s chest, feeling the vibrations of the human’s heartbeat even through the thick covers. _‘And why do I still have this feeling that I have met him somewhere before?’_

Before Erwin could contemplate his thoughts more, three hesitant knocks came from behind him and Erwin looked at the double doors over his left shoulder.

“Come in,” he said, knowing it was Eren by the werewolf’s scent, and the door opened, letting the younger man in.

“Is he still sleeping?” Eren asked, closing the door behind him, and Erwin offered a small smile, his gaze settling on the orange tabby - cleaned, bathed and dried - resting over Eren’s shoulders. It appeared as though Levi’s cat really took to the werewolf which was pretty strange since cats usually ran from werewolves as fast as their little paws could carry them.

“He has yet to wake up,” Erwin answered returning his attention to Levi while Eren approached them, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed. “At least he doesn’t have a fever. Whatever Hanji gave him, it appears to be working.”

“I’m just glad you found him in time,” Eren murmured, distractedly placing his right hand on Raja’s head, the cat mewling pathetically and nuzzling against the werewolf’s gentle touch. “And at least we’ve got one of them now.”

Erwin’s eyebrows narrowed as he nodded mutely, more than half of his attention still focused on Levi’s slowly beating heart.

Yes. They managed to capture the Female Werewolf, one of the three that have been killing Erwin’s comrades for decades now, making it impossible for Erwin and his men to finish this war once and for all. Both Mike and Nanaba were alright, having retreated to their chambers immediately upon return, taking time to heal and reassure one another that the other was alive and well.

Eren was snatched away by Mikasa and Armin before he could say a word, and Erwin was certain Eren had to use every bit of stealth he had to escape the other two. It was absolutely amusing to everyone close to the trio how Mikasa and Armin almost _obsessively_ watched over Eren, even though the werewolf was more than capable of taking care of himself, stronger than the other two in many ways, yet prone to getting himself into trouble (although trouble had a fine way of finding Eren without him really trying).

“Who is watching her?” Erwin asked, thinking about the big sand colored werewolf which appeared to simply _refuse_ to shift back now held in their dungeons.

“Connie, Sasha and Marco,” Eren said and Erwin cocked an eyebrow at him.

“And Jean isn’t with them?” he asked, referring to Marco’s human lover, who had yet to ask to become a vampire, even thought that was of little concern. Once a human mates a vampire, as long as their mate feeds from the human on a regular basis, they will never grow old or die.

“Tche…” A smirk tilted Erwin’s lips when Eren’s face morphed into an expression of utter disgust.

It was not a secret that there seemed to be some kind of animosity between Eren and Jean, although where it came from no one knew, probably not even the two of them, and no one really cared to go deeper into it, because while the two couldn’t stand being near one another, Eren proved on several occasions that he would protect Jean just like any other member of their coven.

“Marco said Jean’s sleeping,” Eren answered in a voice laced with distaste, deeper and somehow dull, and Erwin let go of a short, quiet chuckle, shaking his head before he devoted his attention to Levi. “Hanji said she would hand in a formal request for the Female to be handed to her.”

“That is good,” Erwin answered distractedly, feeling the werewolf’s eyes on the side of his face.

“Commander?” the werewolf spoke hesitatingly and Erwin let go of a noncommittal sound, his right hand rising again to trace the sharp line of Levi’s chin with the back of his fingers. “You’re acting strange, sir. Is there something wrong?”

Erwin halted, his eyes widening for the smallest of fragments as he looked at Eren who was staring at him with eyes wide with concern.

“You have been acting strange ever since you came back with Levi,” Eren continued, voice dripping with worry, and Erwin’s eyebrows narrowed in contemplation. “Sir, if you need to talk, you _know_ I will listen, right?” the werewolf offered and Erwin looked at him again, offering a small, grateful smile.

“I am sorry for worrying you, Eren,” he answered the younger man, receiving a small smile in return. “I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“I will leave you to your thoughts then,” Eren answered with a small smile and stood up, saluting Erwin carefully because of the cat still resting around his shoulders. “Please send for me when he wakes up.”

“I will,” Erwin nodded, “Get some rest.” Eren left the room quietly, leaving Erwin alone with Levi.

The moment the door closed Erwin took a deep breath and let it go slowly, before he forced down a difficult swallow.

His senses were overwhelmed by Levi’s scent, the aroma of Levi’s blood still lingering in the air, and Erwin unconsciously licked his lips, spreading his right hand on Levi’s chest, thumb scraping against the bandage wrapped around the human’s neck.

In the next moment Erwin choked up, his eyes widening at the sight of his sharp nails. Before he realized what he was doing, Erwin was on his feet, standing several meters away from the bed, staring down at his hands, veins sticking out on their back, nails sharp and glimmering in the weak light of the lamp beside the bed.

He raised his head, looking at Levi with wide eyes, and he could swear - Erwin could _swear_ that his heart was beating again, hammering against his ribcage as though it wanted to beat its way out of his chest.

 _‘But that is impossible,’_ he thought frantically as he fisted his right hand in his shirt over his chest. _‘The only way this could happen would be if he is…’_ air hitched within Erwin’s chest as his mouth went dry and sudden weakness overtook him, making him grab a hold of the chair beside the bed before he collapsed in it.

He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and brushing his fingers through his hair before fisting his hands on the back of his head. He didn’t even realize that he was hyperventilating, wide blue eyes staring at the floor.

And then - all of a sudden - it all stopped, and a wave of perfect calmness washed over Erwin. He slowly raised his head, his hands falling to his lips, and he stared at Levi’s sleeping form as though he was seeing him for the first time.

_‘It would only be possible…’_

Perfectly aware of what he was doing, Erwin stood up and kneeled beside the bed rising his left hand and placing it on Levi’s forehead before sliding it up.

_‘It would only be possible if he were my mate.’_

Erwin swallowed thickly, licking dry lips as his gaze darted over Levi’s face, cutting it into his memory. Erwin _still_ couldn’t let go of the feeling that he had met Levi somewhere before, although no matter how much he tried he couldn’t remember when.

And with this new possibility… no… With this new _reality_ , many more questions arose.

* * *

_“Lawa? There you are?”_

_He turned on his heel, his heart beating just a bit faster, feeling his lips stretch into a happy smile as every pore of his being filled with joy. He raised his hand to shield sensitive eyes from the bright sun back-lighting the towering form of the man walking towards him._

_“Master!” he called out happily, rising from his crouching position and looking down at the small clay pot with a single blooming plant. “Look! It finally bloomed!”_

_A shiver trailed over his body when his Master laughed - voice deep and soothing wrapping around him like a pair of angel wings, for certainly his master could be no less than an angel._

_“That flower is beautiful,” his Master spoke and a big, warm hand settled on his head, thick, strong fingers tangling in raven locks, and his heart felt as though it would burst with happiness, “But how many times do I have to ask you to stop calling me master. You are a free man, Lawa, and it would bring me great joy if you called me by my name.”_

_Even though the man’s face was shrouded in shadows, two orbs of clear blue gazed down upon him shining with warmth and comfort._

_This man who took his hand and brought him into the light, this angel who shields him with big, soft, strong white wings of freedom, this man that speaks to him with such tender gentleness and care, who holds him with such reverent love…_

_“It saddens me when you call me master, Lawa.”_

_He felt his smile fall, but a shiver trailed down his body when that hand cupped his cheek, thumb caressing the tender skin under his left eye._

_“Then I won’t call you that anymore, ma… Erwin."_

* * *

“Er…win…”

The vampire’s eyebrows narrowed when the soft, hardly audible whisper reached his ears, and his throat tightened for some reason when Levi rolled his head to the side, a sleepy sigh rolling off of chapped lips. It seemed as though Levi unconsciously nuzzled into the gentle caress of Erwin’s hand resting on top of his head.

“Levi?” Erwin murmured quietly, voice echoing through the silence, and he raised his right hand to cover Levi’s which rested on top of the covers. “It is alright,” he spoke reassuringly, urging the sleeping man to wake up. “You are safe. Levi?”

Focused, wide blue eyes racked over the face of the sleeping man, immediately noticing the way those thin, black eyebrows narrowed, oval face scrunched up a bit, corners of thin lips curling downwards.

“Levi,” Erwin whispered, carding his right hand through raven strands. _‘What horrors are you dreaming of?’_

* * *

_He woke up slowly, feeling relaxed and content, the sun playing over his body, breaking through the small open window on the roof of the stables. A shiver trailed up his back when a warm, callused hand settled on his lower stomach and he slowly turned around, looking up at the shadowed face of his lover._

_“Are you in any pain, Lawa?” the voice he loved so much caressed his ears and he raised one hand, brushing it through soft, sun-kissed locks, giggling when a few strands of straw fell down his forearm._

_“None,” he whispered, not resisting it when his beautiful lover cupped his right cheek and tilted his head back, full lips pressing against his in a loving, deep kiss._

_He giggled when he felt his lover’s length twitch against the small of his back, and those perfect blues looked at him with mirth and desire shining in their sky-like depths._

_“You are insatiable,” he whispered, leaning up to lick the seam of his lover’s bottom lip teasingly, only to whimper and throw his head back when a warm hand wrapped around his awakening member._

_“It is all because of you, my beautiful Lawa…”_

* * *

“Levi?” Erwin murmured questioningly, rising to his feet before he took a seat on the bed, wrapping his right hand around long, thin digits, continuously brushing his fingers through Levi’s hair, narrowed eyes focused on the pale face as Levi twisted slightly under the covers, his expression pained, whimpers and choked up mewls escaping chapped lips.

“N-no… Erwin… Wait!” his voice was hardly audible, words slurred and unintelligible, but Erwin understood them, and horror gripped his heart.

 _‘Why is he dreaming of me?’_ he thought in rising panic, frantically trying to remember - trying to find a single memory of Levi, but failing miserably.

“Don’t… Not without … Don’t die without me!”

* * *

_“Erwin!” the scream ripped off of his lips, the pain of claws in his sides nothing compared to the pain tearing his heart into pieces. “Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!!”_

_Malicious howling echoed through the night mixing with screams and metal hitting metal. Wooden constructions were burning, animals and people ran for cover while beasts such as he had never seen before rampaged through the village, killing everyone they got their paws on._

_But he only had eyes for one man, and the only thing in his mind was to get to his side._

_“Erwin!!” he cried out when one of the beasts taking his love away from him hit Erwin over the head, the proud, tall man falling to his knees and into a big puddle of water, and he kicked out, ignoring the startled cry of his captor whose claws made deep wounds on his sides, wounds he didn’t feel as he ran to his lover, falling to his knees beside him, not seeing soldiers engaging the monsters into battle, chasing them away from him._

_“Erwin? Erwin!” he whimpered as he turned the man on his back, dull blue eyes looking up at him shadowed with pain, broad chest rising and falling with each heavy, wheezing breath he struggled to take, the big wound in his stomach still bleeding profusely. “No… No, you promised!” he screamed, voice breaking as he cradled his dying lover to his chest, pressing Erwin’s head to his shoulder._

_“Lawa, run…”_

_“No!” he curled around Erwin, holding on for dear life._

_Neither noticed the commotion around them coming to a halt, arrows with silver tips glimmering in the light of the fires taking down several of the beasts around them._

_“GET THE BRAT!”_

_“THE BLOODS ARE HERE!!”_

_“Erwin, please…” he whispered brokenly, “You promised. Don’t go without me! Don’t go where I can’t follow!”_

_“Lawa…” he moved back, looking down into those eyes he loved so much, a wavering, choked up breath escaping him when blood-stained lips tilted into a small smile. “I will find you-”_

_“No-”_

_“I will always find you, Lawa” Erwin choked out between coughs, blood splotching his chin as the light in his eyes grew duller. “Remember that. Remember that when all seems lost-”_

_In that moment, clawed, hairy hands wrapped around his arms and pulled him away, and his eyes widened in horror and pain._

_“No!!” his scream echoed through the night._

_“Lawa!!” his lover reached out for him weakly, blue eyes wide and one trembling hand raised as he tried to roll to his side._

_“Erwin!” he cried out, reaching for his light, his wings, his freedom._

_When I die, I will die in front of you._

* * *

“Erwin!!”

“Levi!” Erwin snapped, wrapping his hands around Levi’s wrists and pinning the human to the bed, listening to the frantic heartbeat and staring in wide silver eyes. “Levi, you need to calm down. You’re safe. You’re safe, alright? Focus on me - on my voice - you’re safe,” Erwin spoke, trying to keep his voice steady and soothing.

Levi was shivering like mad, chest rising and falling with each quick, wheezing intake of air, eyes brimming with tears and full of fear and horror.

“Levi?” Erwin eased his hold on the human’s wrists when he was certain Levi calmed down at least somewhat. “Levi, are you with me?” Erwin asked, swallowing thickly, watching as that silver gaze darted to his neck - following the rise and fall of Erwin’s Adam’s apple - before meeting his eyes again.

The air was thick with something Erwin couldn’t name, and he was all too aware of Levi’s warmth and scent, and he slowly moved back, certain that Levi calmed down, letting go of the human’s wrists.

In the next moment a loud slap echoed through the room, Erwin’s eyes widening as his head snapped to the right, his left cheek stinging and burning. He heard the hitch in Levi’s breathing, slowly turning his head to look down at the human finding him staring up with wide eyes and bated breath, lips pressed in a tight line, and the hand which just hit Erwin fisted on the human’s chest.

“I-” the vampire tried to say something but words died on his tongue. As a matter of fact, his mind was blank for the first time in his life. He couldn’t think of a single word to say except, “You _slapped_ me,” stated in obvious amazement. He has _never_ been slapped.

Beaten, cut, shot, bitten, clawed - yes. There was this one time he avoided being doused in acid by a hair, but _slapped_? Erwin couldn’t recall ever being slapped.

“You actually _slapped_ me,” he muttered, expression slack and eyes wide with wonder.

And then - all of a sudden - all that amazement and shock disappeared. The air filled with a salty aroma, wide open eyes turning glassy, and then two tears, followed by another two, and then another two trailed down Levi’s face.

“Levi, what-” Erwin breathed out, interrupted by a hiccup, and those silver orbs widened in shock, long-fingered, delicate-looking, trembling hands rising to touch pale cheeks.

“Why…” Levi breathed out as he raised his hands, looking at his moist fingers, “am I crying?” his voice wavered and broke, raspy and quiet as it already was, and Erwin watched as those lips stretched in something that seriously resembled a hysterical smile. “Why am I crying?!”

Not knowing what to say, Erwin did the only thing he could think of. He quickly gathered the human into his arms - covers and all - cradling him in his lap as one would a small child as he moved around and sat against the headboard of the bed. He wrapped his left arm around Levi, entwining his right hand in the human’s hair and pressing Levi’s head into one strong shoulder.

“Cry,” Erwin whispered, carefully tightening his hold on Levi, mindful of the human’s injures. “It’s alright,” he assured, and his mouth went dry when those small hands fisted on his chest and Levi buried his face in Erwin’s neck.

A choked up sob echoed through the room, followed by another one, and Erwin closed his eyes, fisting his hand on the back of Levi’s head with only one thought in mind.

Can a heart break once it stopped beating?*

Because Erwin’s heart was most certainly breaking.

* * *

Levi woke up feeling as though someone hung weights on every single joint in his body, stuffed his mouth with cotton and filled his head with lead. Opening his eyes felt like the hardest chore ever, but no matter how much he wanted to go back to sleep, no matter how much he wanted to sink into painless oblivion, he couldn’t.

For once, the dull, throbbing pain in his left shoulder and side was beginning to annoy him, his throat felt as though someone was rubbing it with a grinder, his mouth felt like he ate cotton wool for dinner and the scents tickling his nose weren’t familiar in any way forcing him to quite suddenly remember what happened, and that - too effectively if I might add - woke him up completely.

Squinting in the darkness of the room he was in, Levi tried to find something to tell him where he was, but there was absolutely nothing around him. The only thing he could conclude was that these people who had him were very, _very_ wealthy, because the furnishing looked extremely old.

He sat up slowly, right hand wrapping around his left shoulder, the surge of dull pain making him wince as he took a better look around, his eyes getting used to the darkness broken only by the eerie, dim light of the small lamp to his right.

The bed he was in was most probably the biggest bed he has ever seen, the linens black and made out of velvet, which only confirmed Levi’s theory that these bastards holding him were rich as fuck. The floor was covered with a thick rug, and while the wardrobe and vanity to his left were nice, the room felt somehow _empty_.

There was a chair to his right and a book on the nightstand resting beside an empty cup which told Levi that someone has been there earlier with him.

He couldn’t determine what time it was because of the black drapes pulled tight over huge windows, and as he titled his head back to look at the high ceiling, a nerve twitched beside his right eye, because who the _fuck_ has _chandeliers_ in their bedroom at this day and age, crystal none-the-less.

He swallowed thickly, nose wrinkling at the taste in his mouth, and he slowly got out of bed, right arm wrapped around his midsection, a shiver running up his spine when his feet sunk into the thick carpet. He stood up slowly, taking shallow breaths because his ribs hurt like _fuck_ , and cautiously made his way towards the double door across the room, concluding that the doors to his left led to an adjacent bathroom.

It took far too long for his liking to reach the door, time during which he managed to collect his thoughts, remembering at least some of the things that happened, although he still couldn’t figure out where he was. The last thing he remembered clearly was falling down a hill and something red, the memory of which made acid gather in his throat.

Shaking his head to chase away those thoughts, Levi wrapped his right hand around the round doorknob and turned it, the door opening without so much as a sound and he walked into a room that appeared like a cross between an office and a living room.

 _‘And it’s dirty,’_ he thought to himself, scoffing in distaste at the sight of things he assumed were weapons strewn over various surfaces. The desk to his right was covered in papers and folders making it almost impossible to see the laptop in front of the tall office chair, and there were more books on the floor gathered in towers of various height around the room and on small, round tea-tables than on the actual shelves.

A shiver trailed down his spine when a cold gust of wind blew in his direction and he looked to his right, finding an open glass door leading to a balcony. He stepped onto the wooden floor, sneering when the hems of the loose sweatpants he wore pooled around his feet. The shirt he wore wasn’t his size either and it fell off of his left shoulder despite being buttoned up to the collar.

“Tche…” he winced as he wrapped his left arm around his waist and fisted his right arm in the collar of his shirt, closing it around his neck as he made his way towards the balcony, each step sending a surge of pain over his body.

He ignored it all though in an attempt to figure out where he was. He figured - since he wasn’t chained anywhere and the door to the bedroom was unlocked - that he wasn’t held there a prisoner, although considering everything that happened Levi didn’t dare assume _anything_ anymore.

He shivered and huffed, tightening his hold on the collar and hunching his shoulders when he stepped onto the balcony and the cold night air wrapped around him. The sky was clear for once and the stars shone down upon him, their glow dimmed by the light of the full moon directly above him.

He walked all the way to the fence, placing slightly trembling hands on the cold stone, eyes widening and lips parting in wonder as he gazed upon the garden spreading beneath it with tall oaks and pines scattered around and a tall fence in the far distance. He turned in his place and looked up, realizing that he was in some sort of a manor and that this room seemed to be on the top floor.

His gaze was drawn to the stars again and he turned his back on the door, staring at the sky, his heart beating strongly in his chest.

 _‘When did I do this last time?’_ he tried to recall, his gaze settling on the brightest star in the sky.

In the next moment his eyes slammed shut and a grunt escaped him. A loud whistling noise started ringing in his ears and he covered them with his hands as he fell to his knees, a grunt passing through tightly clenched, bared teeth as the noise became lauder.

_“The stars are beautiful tonight, aren’t they, Erwin?”_

_“Not as beautiful as you are, Lawa.”_

“-vi… Levi!” he heard a familiar voice call out to him, breaking through the ever louder ringing in his ears, feeling as though electricity was running through his body until two big, chilly hands wrapped around his wrists, and then it felt as though he was submerged into ice cold water.

He couldn’t breathe, his throat closed up, and his whole body felt heavy. It felt as though he was drowning, as though water was filling his lungs, heavy weights hanging off of his ankles pulling him deeper and deeper underwater while those strong, cold hands around his wrists tried to pull him up.

“... me! Levi!!” that voice called for him again, muffled and distant, and Levi struggled to open his eyes. “… Answer me!”

_“Lawa, look at me…”_

Levi opened his eyes and for a moment which felt like an eternity he was blinded by bright light. Air hitched in his lungs when a phantom touch of warm hands on his cheeks sent a shiver down his spine, and the face of an angel with golden hair dancing in a light breeze and falling into bright blue eyes - like the sky after a thunderstorm - surrounded with long blond lashes with small, hardly visible wrinkles from laughter at the outer edges, and full, lush lips tilted into a small, loving smile, loomed above him, filling him with warmth.

_“I found you...”_

“Er… win?” he spoke, lips hardly moving as the light grew dimmer, and everything went dark.

_“Levi, RUN!”_

_“Go! Isabel and I will hold them back! Go!!”_

“Levi!”

He gasped and lurched forward, struggling to fill his starving lungs with air, feeling as though he was doused in cold water, and all of a sudden, instead of staring into bright blue eyes which seemed to have captured the essence of everything that was pure and good and perfect in the world, he was gazing into a pair of wide, luminescent blues, harsh and unforgiving, filled with strength and danger, now staring at him with panic and urgency.

“Breathe, Levi! _Breathe!!_ ” that voice which sounded like layers of silk brushing over his ears and ages old whiskey caressing his body and honey melting down his throat broke through the haze clouding his thoughts, and he took in a deep, wheezing, painful breath of air, sagging forward. Thick, muscled arms wrapped around him as his head fell against a broad chest, hard and firm and yet welcoming, soft and warm in so many to Levi unfamiliar ways.

“That’s it. Breathe.” A big hand settled on the back of Levi’s head, brushing through his hair while one arm draped over his shoulders - strong and grounding - and Levi fisted his hands in the silk shirt hugging the strong body which seemed big enough to wrap around him like a shield.

 _‘It is,’_ he remembered, recalling the way this - this _vampire_ pulled him close when those werewolves attacked his home and destroyed whatever semblance of a normal life he managed to build for himself.

“You’re safe here, Levi,” Erwin spoke with full certainty, his hand cupping the back of Levi’s head and holding tightly. “They can’t get to you here.”

And even though Levi wanted to argue, even though nothing made sense - even though he wanted to scream and shout and run away as fast as his legs could carry him, he couldn’t.

He wanted to sleep. He wanted to close his eyes and surrender to the darkness, and never wake up again. He wanted to forget everything that happened, go back to the peaceful, boring life he led before. He wanted to go back to taking care of animals and avoiding human contact. He wanted peace.

“I know.” That huge arm gathered Levi closer, wrapping around his waist, and Levi was too weak - too tired to fight him. He ended up sitting on thick thighs, cradled against the mountain of a man, feeling puffs of chilly air ruffling the hair on top of his head.

 _‘Have I said that aloud?’_ he wondered dazedly, and slowly tilted his head back to look up at the face of the man holding him.

The moon shining down upon them made Erwin’s hair shine like liquid silver. His skin was as pale as the moonlight, face perfectly cut, as though he was chiseled from granite or marble, and Levi’s thoughts went blank, his mind comfortably quiet for the first time in a long, long while.

“Sleep,” Erwin spoke, his voice quiet and hypnotizing, and he raised his right hand to caress Levi's left cheek with the back of his fingers.

Levi’s eyes closed of their own will, his hands falling to his chest, loosely fisted and trembling minutely from the cold of that late autumn evening.

_“I will watch over you, Lawa. Sleep. You are safe with me.”_

“I will watch over you, Levi,” Erwin’s voice grew distant, but Levi could still feel the tender caress of those chilly, thick fingers against his cheek, temple and brow, “Sleep.” Levi could feel his body relaxing, the pain of his injuries feeling like just an annoying ache compared to the drumming in his head. “You are safe with me.”

And just like that, Levi fell asleep.

And there were no nightmares plaguing his dreams.

* * *

*quote from ‘Corpse Bride’

* * *

**Did you like it?**

**Want more?**


End file.
